The Epic Pokemon Adventure: Serrano Tales
by RyeLove
Summary: Two trainers set out with great goals. Soon four are traveling together. One dreams of being the greatest trainer, another the best coordinator. Another wants both, but the last seeks vengeance. The Pokemon world may never be the same. Language/Violence.
1. CH 1 The Adventure Begins

**Chapter 1: The Adventure Begins **

"I want you to be careful, alright. Take this." A woman handed her daughter 5,000 in cash. The daughter, named Candace, looked at her younger brother, Kyle. Candace had reddish brown hair and brown eyes. She wore a black hoodie with a pink and black plaid skirt and black leggings. Under the hoodie, she wore a pink t-shirt but it was rarely seen. Her tennis shoes were also pink and black. Kyle had brown hair and brown eyes. He wore jeans and a black t-shirt with three Pokemon on it: Mudkip, Torchic, and Treecko. He wore black and white tennis shoes and his hoodie was blue but he wasn't wearing it at the time.

Their mother continued, "I want you to pick up some Moomoo Milk in Ethoria City. Take the route north of here and please don't agitate any wild Pokemon. They could really hurt you!"

"We know mom," Candace said. "We'll be careful. I promise."

"If only we had Pokemon…" Kyle began, "I'd be the best trainer in the world."

"Well, Professor Maple recently moved here. It's the first time we've had a Pokemon Professor here in Kerouac Town. After you finish my errand, you could talk to her about getting a starter Pokemon, but I want you to get my Moomoo Milk first. You can split the leftover money and buy whatever you want. Be back before sunset."

"Ok!" Candace and Kyle said together as they were walking out the door. They got their bikes from the back yard and set off to Ethoria. As they rode they conversed a bit.

"Hey, Candace, what are you going to get with your money?" Kyle asked.

"Oh, I don't know…A doll maybe…if there's enough," she replied thoughtfully. "And you?"

"I'm getting a Treecko doll!" He said excitedly. Candace smiled and asked him why. He replied with, "Because that's the Pokemon I want to get! If the professor has one, that is…"

"Hey Kyle, look! It's Professor Maple's lab! What's that sign on the pole out front?" Candace asked. They rode over to get a closer look. It was a flyer advertising that Professor Maple would be giving out starter Pokemon to children ages 10 and up that weekend. It was a Friday so that meant that she would be giving them out the next day. Both Candace and Kyle were qualified. Candace, at seventeen, was seven years overdue for her first Pokemon, but there had never been a professor in the Serrano Region before. She hadn't encountered and befriended any Pokemon either. Her brother was eleven and was looking forward to his first Pokemon, especially because the three Pokemon printed on the sign were Pokemon common to beginning trainers in the Hoenn Region: Mudkip, Torchic, and Treecko. They both had heard stories of the creatures and the Pokemon they eventually evolved into: Swampert, Blaziken, and Sceptile.

"I want Treecko!" Kyle exclaimed. Candace smiled and they realized that they had something they should be doing and continued on their way. They got to the route and heard some commotion nearby.

"Rattata, use Tackle!" someone shouted. The two siblings got closer and found two trainers in the middle of a Pokemon Battle.

"Dodge it, Shinx!" A Shinx leapt out of the way of the Rattata's path. "Great! Now use Spark!" the trainer continued. An electric charge began to form around Shinx.

"SHINX!" The Shinx shouted as sparks were released. They hit the Rattata.

"RRRRRRR!" The Rattata cried as it stumbled back and fell over.

"Rattata!" Its trainer cried and ran to his fallen Pokemon. "You did your best," he said. "And I'm proud of you." The two trainers shook hands and parted ways. Candace and Kyle were very excited and chattered even more about that weekend and the adventures and experiences they'd have with their Pokemon. They continued their way to the department store in Ethoria without stopping. There, they bought some bottles of Moomoo Milk for their mother. Candace bought a Mudkip doll to represent the Pokemon she would be choosing and Kyle bought a Treecko doll for the same reason. They went back home, had dinner, and tried to get some sleep.

The next morning, they got ready and headed to Professor Maple's lab as quickly as they could. When they got there, they saw three other children standing out front, laughing and chatting away. The group noticed Candace and Kyle approaching.

"Too late!" A blond girl said. "We've already claimed the three starter Pokemon that Professor Maple has to offer. Better luck next time. You'll need it." Candace glared at her. "Oh how rude of me," the girl began, "I should have introduced myself. My name is Katya. I'm training to become a top Pokemon Coordinator and this is my partner." She took a Pokeball out of her purse, expanded it, tossed it, and out came a Torchic. Candace was a little relieved because she really didn't like this chick and was glad that someone else got the Mudkip she wanted.

"Really…" Candace said as she looked Katya over. Katya was taller than Candace. She had green eyes and blond, curly hair with side bangs. She wore a white mini skirt, a pink tank top, and black heels. She appeared to be around the same age as Candace. Candace definitely didn't like her and it was clear that Katya didn't like Candace either. "I'm Candace," Candace began, "and this is my brother…Kyle. Who are the rest of you?"

"My name is Angel," said one of the boys. Angel was a little taller than Kyle and appeared to be the same age as Kyle. He had black hair and blue eyes. He wore skinny jeans and a shirt with a skull on it. He took out a Pokeball and sent his partner out. It was Treecko. He seemed a little arrogant, like Katya and explained how he was going to collect all the badges and become the Pokemon League Champion of Serrano. Kyle immediately hated his guts, especially since this guy picked the Treecko that he had wanted.

"And my name is Chucky!" said the third kid. He looked ten. He seemed much more pleasant than the other two. He was short, fat, and he had brown hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a green polo shirt, khaki shorts, and old red sneakers. He seemed clumsy and naive, but at least he was not conceited like the other two. On the contrary, he seemed to be a decent person, jolly and warm-hearted. He sent out the Pokemon he picked: Mudkip. The Mudkip nuzzled his leg.

Just then, Professor Maple stepped out of her lab. She was very beautiful. She had long, wine red hair, as well as hazel eyes and dimples. She seemed very bubbly and happy. She noticed Candace and Kyle and said, "Oh, are you here for Pokemon too? Hmm…well I've already given out those three….well, it's not a problem. I have a few more. They're very special though. I want you two to promise to take good care of them."

Candace and Kyle introduced themselves and promised to take good care of them. Katya and Angel were jealous but pretended not to care. They both left, but Chucky stayed behind because he was curious to see these special Pokemon. Professor Maple led them inside. She asked one of her assistants to retrieve the two baby Pokemon that had recently hatched. The assistant went into another room and returned with two Pokeballs which he handed to the Professor. The Professor sent the two Pokemon out, one at a time. Out of one came an Eevee and out of the other came a Mime Jr. Chucky pointed his Pokedex at both of them, one at a time.

"Eevee: The Evolution Pokemon. Its irregular genetic makeup allows it alter the composition of its body to suit its surrounding environment," the dex informed. When Chucky pointed it at Mime Jr., it continued: "Mime Jr.: The Mime Pokemon. It mimics the expressions and motions of those it sees in order to understand their feelings or confuse them.

Candace instantly ran and scooped up the Eevee.

"Well it seems like Candace wants Eevee. Kyle are you okay with Mime Jr.?" Professor Maple asked.

"OF COURSE! HE'S THE CUTEST POKEMON I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE!" Kyle shouted.

"Well then. That's that," Professor Maple said with a smile. She handed them each a Pokedex and five empty Pokeballs. "Please be careful on your journey," she began, "and be kind to your new friends. Feel free to call me anytime and tell me how your adventure is going. I would be glad to hear it. I will talk to you three later."

"Right. I'll get started right away, Professor!" Chucky said, saluting. Mime Jr. mimicked him. Chucky then said good bye to the professor and the siblings and went on his way.

"Say, Professor, what's his deal?" Kyle asked.

"Who, Chucky? Oh, he's a sweet kid. Out of all of those three, he seems to be the closest to his Pokemon already. If any of them stands a real chance of filling their Pokedex, it's him. Strange that it would be the clumsy kid who is the most dedicated. I can just see him returning his Pokedex covered in duct tape and dirt. Now, you two had better be going!" Professor Maple urged.

"See you later, Professor Maple!" The two said as they started on their journey.

Candace and Kyle ran home to show their mom their new Pokemon. She was a little sad to see them both go, but commented on the cuteness of their Pokemon. They decided to leave their bikes behind and were about to head out, but remembered that they needed to return their new Pokemon. Candace pointed a Pokeball at Eevee.

"Return," Candace said, but Eevee avoided it.

"VEE!" Eevee cried as she shook her head and looked up at her trainer. She then walked over and nuzzled her trainer's leg. She didn't want to go into the Pokeball.

"Well…I guess that's ok," Candace said. Mime Jr. also acted like it didn't want to go into its ball either, because it's a Mimic Pokemon and was following Eevee's example, so Kyle let it stay out too. Eevee hopped onto Candace's shoulder and slid down the front into the neck of Candace's hoodie and popped her head out. Kyle wasn't wearing his Hoodie so Mime Jr. just hopped up and sat on his shoulder, and the four headed out on their adventure.

~_~_~  
Author Notes:

Read and review please. It get's better, I promise xD I'm just introducing characters and stuff in this chapter, so it's a little on the boring-side. I know it's short but the chapters are going to get much longer eventually too.


	2. CH 2 Into the Wild

**Chapter 2: Into The Wild **

Candace was sitting on a rock, brushing her Eevee's fur. Eevee was napping peacefully. A Chatot could be heard calling in the distance. It sounded like something was dying. How Eevee was still asleep, no one could tell. Mime Jr. was sitting in Kyle's lap eating berries. It popped a Cheri Berry into it's mouth and chewed, a wide smile on it's face.

"Well, I think we know what flavor _he _likes," Candace joked. Mime Jr. nodded, still smiling, and Kyle laughed.

"So…who gets dibs on the first Pokemon?" Candace asked.

"You," he said. "But I get the second one."

"Aw, thank you!" Candace said. "Well, I think we've rested enough. I mean we weren't even really tired to begin with. I think we should go look for some wild Pokemon."

"Yeah," Kyle said.

"Wake up, Eevee!" Candace said.

"EEEEEEEEE!" Eevee growled and rolled over, obviously wanting to keep sleeping. Candace shook her a little. "VEEEEE!" The Eevee sat up and glared at everyone. It apparently really hated being woken up from its beauty sleep. It hopped down and looked back up at its trainer, as if to say, "what, you expect me to walk?". Candace hopped down too and picked up her Eevee to carry it. Kyle stood up and took his hoodie out of his bag and put it on. He put the rest of Mime Jr.'s berries into the hood and Mime Jr. hopped up onto his shoulder and began eating the berries out of the hood. Occasionally, it would throw one it didn't like out of his hood, resulting in the odd piece of flying fruit.

They started walking and scouted for wild Pokemon. They saw a flock of Starly flapping along, but they were too high to catch, so they ignored them. They continued walking and heard something rustling in the bushes. A black nose poked through the bushes and wiggled a little. Then a Growlithe leapt out and started to growl at the two trainers. A Cherubi bounced out along with it and hid behind the Growlithe.

"Why does that Growlithe look so angry?" Candace asked nervously.

"I don't know…" Kyle said.

"Do you think it's protecting that Cherubi from us? It looks pretty young. I think it might be a baby. If it is, it's probably helpless," Candace observed.

"I don't know, but we should let Growlithe know that we mean no harm," Kyle replied.

"Right. We should offer to help it to. I mean maybe that Cherubi has been separated from its mother or something and the Growlithe is helping it get back," Candace said. The two trainers approached slowly. Mime Jr. jumped off Kyle's shoulder and ran over to the Growlithe.

"Mime Jr.! Come back!" Kyle cried. Mime Jr. slowed down and stopped a couple feet from Growlithe who looked like it was about to eat the Mime Jr. Judging by the size difference, it was entirely possible that Growlithe could eat Mime Jr. and use Eevee to pick its teeth clean.

"Mima! Mime Mima Mima. Mime Mime Mime. Mima. Mima Mime Mima. Mima Mima Mima!" The Growlithe stared as Mime Jr. explained to it that they meant no harm and want to offer their help. It also asked about the Cherubi and if they were looking for its mother. The Growlithe nodded.

"Grow-oo! Lithe!" It motioned for them to follow and they did. The Growlithe brought them to a tall tree. They heard cries coming from above.

"Cher! Cher! Im!" There was a Cherrim trapped in a net hanging from a branch that was kind of high up. The Cherubi started to panic.

"That must be Cherubi's mother! I wonder how it got up there. We need to help her!" Candace said. They all started thinking. Mime Jr. put one hand to his forehead and scouted around. He saw a small tree with giant leaves.

"MIMA!" He ran over to it and tried to pull one off. Eevee went over to help.

"What are they doing?" Kyle asked.

"Oh maybe they want to catch Cherrim in it when she falls…but we still need to get her down…hmm…Oh I know! Growlithe! Use ember on the top of the net. Eevee and Mime Jr.! Bring that leaf over and catch Cherrim!" Candace ordered. Eevee and Mime Jr. brought the leaf over. Mime Jr. held one side with its hands and Eevee held the other side with her mouth.

"GRRR-OWOOOL!" Growlithe shot embers at the net, which broke. The Cherrim came tumbling down.

"RIIIIIIIIIIM!" Cherrim cried. Cherubi buried its face into Growlithe. It couldn't watch. The Cherrim hit the leaf, bounced up a little, and landed softly. It jumped off the leaf and went to comfort its child.

"Cherrim Cherrim!" "Rubii-Chu!" They nuzzled happily and looked at the trainers and Pokemon to thank them. Then they bounced off together.

"Are you going to catch that Growlithe, Candace?" Kyle asked.

"No, I think he's been through enough today. Let's say our good byes," Candace replied. They said good bye to Growlithe and were on their way. Little did they know, Growlithe was following close behind. He was hiding in the bushes and was as silent as he could be. They walked quite a ways.

"How close are we to Ethoria? I want to stop at the department store and buy some supplies," Candace asked.

"It's a little ways from here I think. We should be there soon though," Kyle replied.

"Good," Candace said. Just then, they heard a loud thud. They ran to the direction of the noise and found a Phanpy charging at a tree. He head-butted the tree, making another huge thud. Then backed up slowly and did it again. And again. And again. Kyle looked excitedly at the Phanpy.

"I'M GONNA CATCH YOU!" Kyle shouted. Candace winced.

"GO! Mime Jr.!" Kyle shouted.

"MIMA MIMA!" Mime Jr. rushed towards the Phanpy.

"Mime Jr., use Confusion!" Kyle said. Mime Jr. tried to attack the Phanpy but Phanpy used Rollout and knocked Mime Jr. down.

"MI…MAA," Mime Jr. groaned. It lifted itself up and looked obediently at his trainer.

"Use Confusion again, but be careful this time!" Kyle shouted. Mime Jr. charged at Phanpy who charged at it with a Headbutt but Mime Jr. jumped up and came back down and hit the Phanpy with Confusion.

"Piiii" The Phanpy stumbled back and glared at the Mime Jr. It appeared to be very aggressive. It dug at the ground with one foot and charged at Mime Jr. with another Headbutt which sent Mime Jr. flying.

"MMIIIIIIIIIMMMMMMEEEE!" Mime Jr. cried as it hit a tree and slid down. It had been defeated.

"Mime Jr.!" Kyle shouted. He rushed over and picked him up. The two trainers fled and headed to Ethoria to heal Mime Jr. at the Pokemon Center. While at the Pokemon Center, Candace decided to brush her Eevee some more while Kyle sat nervously and Mime Jr. was resting.

"Your Mime Jr. is going to be just fine," Nurse Joy said. "He just needs a good night's rest and he'll be all ready to battle again. You can sleep here if you like." She and her Chansey left together to go to the emergency room.

"That Phanpy was pretty tough," Candace said.

"I know…I can't wait to battle him again and win," Kyle said.

"You're going to go after him?" she asked.

"Uh-huh," Kyle replied. Just then they heard a loud howl and ran outside. Growlithe was standing there waiting for them.

"Oh, it's that Growlithe from before!" Candace said. "Did you follow us, Growlithe?" Growlithe growled and shot an Ember at her but she dodged out of the way. "Why are you attacking me?" she shouted.

"I think he wants to battle you, Candace," Kyle suggested.

"Oh alright then. Eevee! Let's go!" she said.

"EEVEH!" Eevee ran closer to Growlithe.

"Use Shadow Ball, Eevee!" Candace commanded. Eevee produced a dark purple sphere from its mouth and fired it at the Growlithe. Growlithe jumped out of the way and shot some embers at the Eevee.

"Dodge them, Eevee!" Candace shouted. Eevee ducked. "Now, tackle it!" Eevee charged at Growlithe with a Tackle. Growlithe was hit and stumbled back. "Now try to hit it with Shadow Ball, Eevee!" Eevee used Shadow Ball again and Growlithe tried to counter it with Ember but Shadow Ball was stronger, destroyed the embers and hit Growlithe.

"Growww..." Growlithe cried.

"Pokeball, go!" Candace shouted as she threw a Pokeball at the Growlithe. It rocked. Once…twice…three times…and stopped. The red light in the center disappeared. Candace ran over to get it. She grabbed it and jumped up and down excitedly. "I got my first Pokemon! YAYAYAY! YAY!" she shouted as she danced around. Kyle and Eevee lost interest and left her outside while they went to check on Mime Jr.

Mime Jr. was eating an apple when the two walked in. He looked at them and smiled. "MIMA!"

"Hey Mime Jr. How are you doing?" Kyle asked. Eevee hopped up onto the bed with Mime Jr. and nuzzled him. Candace walked in. Growlithe was out of his ball.

"Hey Mime Jr., remember Growlithe? I caught him!" Candace said. Growlithe put his two front paws on the bed and licked Mime Jr. across the face. They sat up late with Mime Jr. before heading to bed.

The next morning, Candace woke up. Eevee had slept up by her head and Growlithe slept on her stomach. She looked over to Kyle's bed and he wasn't there. He was out thinking about how he was going to catch the Phanpy. Mime Jr. came running in and realized that his trainer wasn't there, so he started to cry. Just then, Kyle walked in and Mime Jr. ran over and jumped onto his shoulder.

"Hey Mime Jr. what's wrong?" Kyle asked.

"He didn't know where you were," Candace replied.

"Oh, hey Mime Jr. are you ready to go find and re-battle that Phanpy?" Kyle asked.

"MIMA MIMA!" Mime Jr. replied with a fist in the air.

"That's a yes," Candace said. She returned Growlithe to his ball and they left the Pokemon Center and headed to the spot where they had found the Phanpy for the first time. A Beedrill had been buzzing around, minding his own business and went into the tree that the Phanpy had been head-butting the other day. Luckily, the Phanpy was still there. He was sleeping under the tree but the sound of the Beedrill woke him up. He saw the trainers and immediately charged.

"Mime Jr.! Use Confusion!" Kyle shouted. Mime Jr. used confusion on a rock and sent it flying at the Phanpy. It hit Phanpy in the head, and it became confused. Its eyes turned red and it thrashed around and hit its head on rocks and other things.

"Alright!" Kyle shouted. The Phanpy snapped out of confusion and used Rollout on Mime Jr. It hit and Mime Jr. went flying.

"MIIIIIIIMMMMME!" Mime Jr. cried.

"AW MAN!" Kyle shouted. "Okay, now use Mimic!" Mime Jr. mimicked the Phanpy's Rollout. It hit but didn't seem to hurt the Phanpy very much. The Phanpy charged with a Headbutt.

"Dodge it, Mime Jr.!" Kyle yelled. Mime Jr. jumped out of the way and was now positioned in front of the tree. The Phanpy switched directions and charged towards Mime Jr. Mime Jr. jumped out of the way and Phanpy hit the tree. Violent buzzing started up as the Beedrill zipped out of the tree and charged at the Phanpy with a Fury Attack.

"PPPAAAAAHHHHH!" Phanpy cried as it was getting hit. The Beedrill finished and flew away. The Phanpy collapsed and struggled to get back up.

"Now's your chance, Mime Jr.! Use confusion!" Kyle cried. Mime Jr. picked Phanpy up and slammed it against the tree with Confusion.

"Go Pokeball!" Kyle shouted as he threw a Pokeball. It rocked three times and stopped. The red light in the center disappeared. Caught.

"YES!" Kyle shouted. Mime Jr. danced around in victory and Kyle picked up the ball. "Phanpy is mine!" Candace clapped and Eevee had found better things to do.

~_~_~  
Author Notes:

Read and review please. Okay, the battles are really short right now because they're newbies, and all of the Pokemon are weak. The battles will get longer after the next couple of chapters.


	3. CH 3 New Friends

**Chapter 3: New Friends **

After catching Phanpy, Kyle and Candace went back to Ethoria to buy supplies at the department store. There was a sale so it was somewhat crowded. They were standing in line waiting to purchase some medicine and Pokemon food, and there was a girl standing at the front of the line. She was shorter than Kyle, but the same age, and she had long, straight blond hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a pink hoodie with a furry hood, jeans, and white sneakers. She looked about Kyle's age. She was buying a lot clothing and accessory type merchandise. She bought so much that she couldn't see what was in front of her and as she was walking by, she bumped into Kyle, fell over, and dropped all of her items. Ball capsules and accessories went flying. Eevee freaked out when a ball capsule landed on her nose.

"Are you okay?" Kyle asked as he bent down to help her. She looked up at him and her face turned bright red. She gathered up all her things and ran off.

"That was kind of weird…" Candace said. Kyle shrugged and they didn't think much of it. They bought what they needed and left. They decided to stop at the Pokemon center once more to give Professor Maple a call and tell her about their new Pokemon. They walked in and found the girl who had bumped into Kyle in the department store. She was playing with a Mareep and didn't seem to notice them. The Mareep noticed them and she hid behind her trainer.

"Hey, you're that girl from the department store," Candace said. "Why'd you run off so quickly like that? Are you ok?"

"Oh…I'm…uh…" The girl said as she was shifting her gaze between Candace and Kyle. She had a soft, sweet, timid voice. She was obviously very shy.

"…Yes?" Candace asked, waiting for an answer.

"I'm…fine…I was just…in a hurry," the girl said. Her eyes were completely fixed on Kyle at this point and she was blushing brighter than before.

"Well that's good," Candace began, "My name is Candace by the way."

"And I'm Kyle!" Kyle said.

"You…can call me Tori," the girl said.

"Are you a Pokemon Trainer?" Kyle asked.

"Yes," Tori replied. "And I'm training to be a top Pokemon coordinator. This is my partner Mareep. She's my only Pokemon. I've only just recently become a Pokemon trainer..." Mareep stared at the trainers and their Pokemon. She didn't budge. She was more shy than her trainer! Although, it's only fitting that a shy trainer has a shy Pokemon.

"Oh really? Me too!" Candace replied.

"You are…?" Kyle asked.

"Yup. I want to put that Katya in her place! But I'll do gyms too, I guess. I can do both," Candace said. "Are you traveling alone, Tori?"

"Yes…I wish I had someone to travel with, but my friends stayed home. They don't have Pokemon," Tori said.

"Well then you can come with us!" Kyle exclaimed. Tori was speechless. She was still blushing but looked happy. They could tell without her saying anything that she would love to join their party. Candace walked to the phone in the corner and dialed Professor Maple. The others followed her. Professor Maple answered and her face appeared on the screen.

"Oh hello! I didn't expect to hear from you so soon. How are you two? How's your Pokedex coming along? Are you trying your best? How are the Pokemon I gave you? Are you having fun? What have you caught…er have you caught anything? Oh and who's that with you?" Proffesor Maple questioned rapidly.

Candace and Kyle stared blankly for a moment, before Candace started speaking: "In order...we're fine…our Pokedex…well, it's not anywhere near complete. Uh...we're definitely trying our hardest. Our Pokemon are doing well. Eevee is as sassy as ever and Mime Jr. is happy and hyper as always…"

"AND CUTE," Kyle added. "And funny and strong and amazing! We're having loads of fun. And I caught this!" Kyle sent out his new Phanpy. Candace sent out her Growlithe too.

"And this is my new Growlithe," Candace added. At this point, Mareep was still hiding behind Tori who was now hiding behind Candace. "Oh Tori," Candace continued, "Introduce yourself!"

"Hi Professor…I'm Tori….a contest coordinator…in training that is…uh…and I'm traveling with them…" Tori said.

"How nice to meet you Tori. Well I'm glad you two are meeting new friends. I've got work to do though. I'll talk to you later, alright?" Professor Maple said. They all said good-bye and hung up. Candace took out Growlithe's ball and returned him. Kyle did the same for Phanpy.

"So…where to next?" Candace asked. Tori pulled out a map but didn't say anything. Kyle said they should head to Larose Town where he and Candace would challenge their first gym. They left the Pokemon Center and were on their way. Eevee decided that she'd walk for a change. She wanted to acquaint herself with Tori's Mareep. Mime Jr. joined the two. Some time passed by.

"Do you ever call your Pokemon back to their Pokeballs?" Tori asked.

"Not Eevee and Mime Jr.," Kyle replied. "They don't like to be in their Pokeballs."

"Oh," Tori said. "Mareep doesn't mind it…I can leave her out a bit longer though." They began to near a Cheri Berry bush and Mime Jr. ran to it. His stash was near depletion and he wanted some more. He reached for a Cheri Berry but it disappeared into the bush. He gasped and reached for another and it did the same thing.

"Mime…AH…." he said in frustration and reached for more and more but they kept disappearing into the bush. Finally, a Pichu stepped out from inside the bush, giggling and eating a Cheri Berry. Mime Jr. jumped on it, knocking the Pichu down. Pichu started to cry.

"Mime Jr.! Be nice to that Pichu, he only wanted to play! What's the matter with you?" Candace scolded. Mime Jr. frowned and looked at his trainer. Pichu zipped out from under Mime Jr. and ran up to the trainers. He was hungry and looking for handouts.

"Pichu, if you want some food, you need to battle Mime Jr. for it!" Kyle shouted.

"Are…you…planning to catch that Pokemon, K-Kyle?" Tori asked.

"YES!" Kyle said. "Mime Jr.! Use Confusion." Mime Jr. used confusion on the Pichu, but it hopped out of the way and smacked Mime Jr. with its tail

"MIMA!" Mime Jr. wasn't that hurt. The Pichu was only a baby and not very strong.

"Ok Mime Jr. use Mimic!" Kyle commanded. Mime Jr. learned Tail Whip and used it on Pichu.

"PIII-CHA!" The Pichu cried and it fell over.

"Ok, Pokeball go!" Kyle shouted as he threw a Pokeball at Pichu. It rocked several times and was caught. Kyle walked over and picked it up. "YEAH!" he cheered. Tori smiled sweetly, Candace danced around, Mime Jr. rushed to the Cheri Berry bush and hoarded as many Cheri Berries as he could, Eevee had fallen asleep, and Mareep was hiding behind Tori. She mewled quietly and bumped against Tori's leg.

"Oh, Mareep," Tori said. "Do you want to go back into your Pokeball?" Mareep nodded. "Mareep, return!" she said and returned her Mareep. Eevee woke up, climbed into the neck of Candace's hoodie and popped her head out the top. Mime Jr. hopped onto Kyle's shoulder.

"Let's stop further up ahead," Kyle said. "I want my new Pichu to meet everyone and the sun will set soon. We should set up camp."

"Agreed," the girls said. They continued for a little while and found a good, flat area to pitch their tents. It wasn't dark yet but they were kind of tired and decided that Candace and Kyle could challenge the gym tomorrow and they wanted to enjoy a night in the outdoors.

The trainers let all of their Pokemon out to help pitch the tents. Phanpy slept by a rock and didn't want to help. After the tents were up, Candace asked her Growlithe to use Ember to start a campfire. They sat around and Kyle introduced Pichu to everyone. Tori made dinner with a cooking set she had brought along and they all talked for hours…well, Candace and Kyle talked for hours. Tori still wasn't saying much. Mareep began to become a little more comfortable with her surroundings though. She and Growlithe became pretty good friends.

After a while, the trainers and their Pokemon were tired and went into their tents. All of their Pokemon slept out of their Pokeballs that night and cuddled with their trainers, save Phanpy who slept in the corner. He was still pretty withdrawn and aggressive-looking. At least he wasn't charging at them anymore.

~_~_~  
Author Notes:

Read and review please. Tori was originally based off a character named Hinata from the Naruto Anime/Manga, but exaggerated slightly. I pretty much gave up with that, but there are a few similarities still: pretty quiet, an obvious crush on a main character (who is completely oblivious of it), lack of self-confidence at first, etc. Kyle's based off my little brother, who worships Ash/Satoshi, so there's going to be some similarities between those two as well: several Pokemon in common, same dreams, same morals, etc. Candace isn't really based off of anyone in particular. And neither is...meh, you'll meet him later ;D


	4. CH 4 All Hell Breaks Loose

**Chapter 4: All Hell Breaks Loose **

"Don't you guys find it pretty bizarre that we haven't encountered a single trainer yet? I mean other than Tori…" Candace said the next morning while Tori was making breakfast and Kyle was playing with Mime Jr. Eevee was still asleep and the rest of the Pokemon had been returned to their Pokeballs.

"Yeah…" Kyle said. "I hope we find some soon, or we won't be even close to ready for our gym battle."

"We could always practice with each other, Kyle…or Tori," Candace suggested. Tori gasped and blushed.

"Tori…" Candace began. "How do you plan to be a contest coordinator if you're so shy…you're going to have to perform in front of all those people, you know. The same goes for Mareep…are you two going to be able to handle it?"

"….I…hope so," Tori replied.

"I think you need some practice," Candace suggested. "What do you say you and I have a battle after breakfast?"

"Oh….kay…uhm…sure," Tori smiled. "Uhm…Candace? Could you…ask Growlithe to light a fire for me? I need to cook this."

"Oh sure, no problem! Growlithe! Use Ember," Candace said as she threw a Pokeball. Growlithe came out and used Ember on the fire pit. Candace turned around and returned Growlithe back to his Pokeball. She turned back to the fire pit but the fire was out. She sent Growlithe out and lit it again. Then she turned around again to return him, but it happened again. This continued a few times until Candace finally stopped looking away so she could make sure that the fire stayed lit. She looked around and didn't see anything.

"CHIIIIII!" They heard as one of the tents became engulfed in electric sparks. It subsided and Eevee stomped out moments after. Her fur was full of static and frizzing everywhere. She looked pissed off enough to literally eat whoever was responsible for turning her into a spiky puffball. She looked around for Pichu and Mareep, assuming one of them was responsible, but they were in their Pokeballs. All of a sudden, a white and blue blur whizzed by. Then it whizzed by again…and again…and again.

"What is that?" Kyle asked.

"I don't know," Candace replied. "It won't sit still long enough for me to see…" It whizzed around the camp and disappeared again. Mime Jr.'s stash of Cheri Berries was gone. He noticed and there was fire in his eyes. The fury of Mime Jr. had been unleashed.

"MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIME-UUUUUHHHHHHH!" he shouted in fury. The thief came back, but walking this time. It was a Pachirisu. Mime Jr. charged at it. Pachirisu dodged out of the way with a quick movement to the right. It cocked its head and jumped up and dove at Pachirisu, but Pachirisu made a quick step to the side and Eevee landed face first in the dirt.

"PACHIII-PAH!" The Pachirisu danced around and whizzed off. It came back seconds later and its mouth was full. It smiled and started to spin around rapidly like the Tasmanian Devil. Cheri Berries flew everywhere and pelted everyone in range. It ran out of berries and stood there, chanting and dancing around.

"Eevee, use Double Team!" Candace shouted. Eevee multiplied and surrounded the Pachirisu. "Now use Shadow Ball!" Candace said. The Pachirisu was overwhelmed and wasn't able to figure out how to dodge in time. He was hit by several Shadow Balls from the group of Eevee. The Pachirisu used Discharge and not only hit all the Eevee, but also everyone in camp. Everyone's hair was frizzy like Eevee's fur now. He took advantage of them being in pain by racing off again, but he was hurt so he couldn't run as fast. Eevee went after it.

"Eevee, run as fast as you can to keep up with that Pachirisu!" Candace yelled. Eevee ran and ran, picking up more and more speed. In fact, she got really fast.

"She must have learned Quick Attack!" Tori exclaimed.

Eevee collided with the Pachirisu and knocked it down. Pachirisu got back up and ran the other way, back towards camp. Eevee sped after it and pounced on him. He immediately used Discharge and Eevee fell over in defeat.

"V…vwee…" she groaned. Pachirisu danced around a bit but collapsed from exhaustion. Candace threw a Pokeball. It rocked a couple times but the Pachirisu apparently had enough stamina to avoid being caught and broke free. Candace walked over and picked up her Eevee and sent out Growlithe.

"Growlithe, use Bite!" Candace said. Pachirisu was much to tired to dodge it in time and Growlithe chomped down on his head.

"PACHIII!" it cried. It used Discharge but Growlithe let go and ducked down enough to avoid being hit.

"Use Ember!" Candace commanded. Growlithe tilted his head up towards Pachirisu and shot embers at it. Pachirisu stumbled backwards and fell over. Candace tried to catch it again. It rocked for a while and stopped. She was successful.

"Poor Eevee," Candace said. "And Pachirisu too, the little fuzzball." Tori came out of her tent. She had run into the tent the moment Eevee got hurt. She had gone to retrieve some medicine. She quickly congratulated Candace on her catch and began to heal Eevee and Pachirisu. Kyle and Candace worked on packing up the tents. Growlithe and Mime Jr. the time Tori finished healing both Pachirisu and Eevee, Kyle and Candace were about done packing up. They finished up, while Tori finished preparing the food. While she served it, Candace and Kyle packed up the cooking supplies. Pachirisu cocked its head and watched the whole thing.

They ate breakfast and packed away their dishes. They'd wash them in the next town or something. Once Pachirisu saw that they had everything packed away, he decided to play a game with them.

"Pachiiiii!" It cheered, happy that they were playing along. They looked over and it ran off. It ran…south. Back to Ethoria. They were planning to go north to challenge the gym, but it apparently would have to wait.

The three trainers gave chase, but the Pachirisu was faster than any of them. However, rather than escaping entirely, the Pachirisu would simply run away, stop, and wait for them to catch up, before running off again.

Eventually, they saw Ethoria in the distance, and Candace stopped. "I'm getting sick of this. I'm going to circle around Pachirisu and get him from behind. You two keep coming from the front, so he thinks we're still chasing him."

"You think it'll work?" Kyle asked.

"It had better. It's the only idea I have!" Candace said.

Candace stepped off the trail and into the woods, narrowly avoiding squishing a Wurmple. The Pokemon stared at her a moment, as if to say "DON'T EAT ME!" before scrambling up a tree and glaring at her from between branches. Candace worked her way through the forest, moving as quietly as she could, until she saw the Pachirisu standing in the center of the road, staring down the way that it had come.

"There you are," Candace muttered, readying Pachirisu's Pokeball. As she cocked her arm back, she heard a snap behind her and spun around, seeing an absolutely giant Exploud standing behind her. They stared at each other a moment, before Exploud began to inhale. Candace recognized the beginnings of its attack and shook her head, looking pleadingly at the Exploud. It nodded, a large smile on it's face. Seeing that it was about to use its most powerful attack, Hyper Voice, she dropped to the ground and covered her ears, just as the Pokemon attacked.

Kyle and Tori had waited a few minutes before starting down the road towards Pachirisu. They had almost gotten the rogue Pokemon in sight when they heard a horribly echoing shout and saw a section of the forest rock and tremble. Hundreds of Starly, Wurmple, and Beautifly flew out of the forest, heading as far away as they could.

"Oh, that can't be good," Kyle said. "I hope they're okay." They ran to where the forest had shaken, seeing several fallen trees and a giant Exploud moving back into the forest. On the ground, they saw Candace, her fingers stuffed in her ears and her eyes tightly shut. Looking out onto the road, they saw Pachirisu's tail sticking out of a hollow in a tree. Eevee took in the scene and thanked her lucky stars that she decided not to follow her trainer, but then felt bad and ran to Candace's side.

"Tori, can you get Pachirisu out of the tree? I'm going to see if Candace is alright," Kyle said. The shy girl nodded, and as Kyle patted his sister on the shoulder, Tori pulled the now-unconscious Pachirisu from the tree. "Candace, are you alright?" Kyle asked.

"WHAT?" The older girl shouted, wiggling a finger in her ear. "SPEAK UP!"

"ARE YOU ALRIGHT!" Kyle shouted.

"I'm fine! Where's Pachirisu?" She saw Tori holding the Pokemon in question. "Oh. I guess that Exploud really was helping me." Candace decided to go to the Pokemon Center to heal Pachirisu and call Professor Maple about Pachirisu and his discipline problem. The others followed her.

"Oh, hello again," Nurse Joy greeted as the three trainers walked in. Candace explained the situation and Nurse Joy took the unconscious Pachirisu into the other room. The trainers walked to the phone in the corner and dialed Professor Maple. Her face appeared on the screen.

"Professor Maple, we have a problem," Candace said.

"Oh? what's the matter," Professor Maple asked.

"Well I just caught a Pachirisu and he's completely out of control. I don't know how I'm going to handle him. We've been chasing him all day!" Candace complained.

"Hmmm, all I suggest is that you give him time and work with him a little..." She stared as Pachirisu came streaking out of the emergency room with wire leads trailing behind him and Nurse Joy and Chansey in hot pursuit. "Okay, maybe a lot of time and a lot of work..."

"Urgh...we gotta gotta go catch him again. Thank you Professor. Good bye," Candace said as she hung up the phone. The other four (Kyle, Tori, Eevee, and Mime Jr.) had already ran out of the Pokemon Center to follow Pachirisu.

Candace caught up and the group followed Pachirisu across the town as he zapped people, Pokemon, and inanimate objects randomly. Officer Jenny joined the chase, and soon a small parade was following Pachirisu as he ran across town, creating general havoc and having the time of his life. It was understandable then that when people saw Officer Jenny, Nurse Joy, a Chansey, a Mime Jr., an Eevee, and three children chasing a Pokemon, they panicked.

As they neared the Department store, Pachirisu began to slow down, possibly getting tired out again. The chase group closed on him, believing that they had him now. Unfortunately, he sped up again soon afterward, bowled over a young man wearing black cargo pants, well-worn boots and a dark jacket, carrying an armful of supplies. Medicine and food flew up and landed...everywhere. Pachirisu apparently didn't notice, as it kept on it's merry way, causing mass destruction and chaos. Candace stopped and helped the boy up.

"I'm soooooooo sorry! Are you alright? My Pachirisu is a little of control. I'm really really really sorry!" she said.

"A LITTLE out of control? He's a menace!" The boy growled, picking up a few of his things.

"How do you know it's a he?" She asked.

"Believe me, I was uncomfortably close to him. I know," He said, scooping up the last of his items. "Now, who are you?"

"My name is Candace. Who are you?" She asked.

"Nobody of consequence." And with that, he turned and walked away. Candace stood and stared at his retreating figure for a moment, before she remembered that she had an insane Pokemon to be chasing. As she ran after her friends and the authority figures, she couldn't help thinking about the boy. He had dark hair that went to about his eye level in the front and almost to his shoulders in the back. His eyes were deep brown, almost black, and his skin was deeply tanned from apparent months in the sun and wilderness. Under the jacket, he'd been wearing a black t-shirt, and Candace could see that under it, he was fit. She had also spotted three Pokeballs on his belt - a sure sign that he was a trainer, like her.

She found her friends, the nurse, and the cop panting and resting on a bench. Pachirisu was no where to be seen. Candace joined them and sighed. Kyle complained a little and Tori remained silent. "Pachirisu..." Candace said. Just then Pachirisu toddled up, hopped into Candace's lap, curled up and fell asleep. She petted his head and smiled. She also resisted the urge to punt the little rascal across the city. Kyle tried to lunge at it but Officer Jenny grabbed him. They all sat there and rested for a while.

~_~_~  
Author Notes:

Read and review please. This is definitely one of my favorite chapters so far. If you're familiar with the anime and have seen episodes with Dawn and her Pachirisu, then you'll know why I gave Candace's Pachirisu a similar personality...just very VERY exaggerated. I just had to do it; it's just too funny xD This little menace is going to get our friends in all sorts of trouble.


	5. CH 5 Let the Training Begin!

**Chapter 5: Let The Training Begin! **

The three slept in a hotel in Ethoria that night and left first thing in the morning. Candace and Kyle figured they should try to find some trainers to challenge before challenging their first gym. Tori still owed Candace a battle, so they got a little ways away from the city and got into position. Kyle and Mime Jr. would referee. Hopefully, some trainers would be attracted by the commotion and come to challenge Kyle and/or Candace as well.

"Since Tori only has one Pokemon," Kyle began, "it'll be a one-on-one battle. Ready? GO!"

"Let's go, Growlithe!" Candace cheered as she threw Growlithe's Pokeball.

"GROW-OOO!" it howled.

"Mareep, it's showtime!" Tori said as she sent out Mareep. Mareep hid behind Tori… "Mareep!" she began, "I'm a little nervous too, but you're going to have to be the one to battle. I can't! You have to try, okay? I'll try too!" Mareep reluctantly walked to the battlefield to face Growlithe. She looked at her trainer, her eyes pleading to be returned to her ball. "It's okay Mareep," she said, "You might like it…" Mareep nodded and looked at Growlithe. She was ready.

"Growlithe, use Ember!" Candace ordered.

"GROO!" it howled as embers shot out of his mouth. Mareep jumped out of the way, rather quickly too. It was nowhere near as quickly as Pachirisu could move, but enough to avoid the Ember.

"Mareep, use Thundershock!" Tori commanded. Mareep sent small bolts of electricity flying at Growlithe. They hit and Growlithe slid back, growling.

"Growlithe jump up and us Ember again!" Candace shouted. Growlithe did so and Mareep couldn't avoid it this time.

"EEP!" it cried.

"Use Tackle!" Tori yelled.

"Bite it," Candace said. Growlithe planted itself firmly to the ground, opened his mouth, and braced himself. Mareep charged but was stopped in its tracks with a very powerful bite around her head.

"MAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" she cried.

"Quick, Mareep! Use Thundershock before it lets go!" Tori said. Mareep shocked Growlithe as hard as she could.

"GROWOWOWOWOW!" he cried, then released the Mareep and fell over in defeat. Tori jumped up and down, cheering. Mareep's confidence increased dramatically and she started running around in circles. Pretty soon, her body began to glow light blue and her shape started to change.  
"What's happening?" Kyle asked.

"She's…." Tori started but couldn't finish because she was too surprised.

"It…it's evolving!" Candace said. The glowing stopped and Mareep was now a cute, fluffy pink Flaaffy!

"Tori, I thought you were a new trainer, why did Mareep evolve so soon?" Kyle asked.

"I am a pretty new trainer. I got her a little less than a month ago, but up until now, we haven't won a single battle. I didn't have much confidence in myself or Mareep, so that's why. Candace is probably stronger than most of the trainers we've battled but I beat her because this time. I believed in Mareep and she sensed it and was able to do well. I guess she evolved because her confidence boosted so high so fast…" Tori stopped and blushed. Kyle and Candace were somewhat shocked because Tori had never said so much before. They could tell that Flaaffy wasn't the only one becoming more confident in herself.

"Tch. I knew you'd be a loser…" a familiar voice said. Everyone looked in its direction. Katya. "She's never won a battle before and you lost to her? You must be pretty weak then. I wish I could have seen it." Katya hadn't seen the battle but had arrived in time to hear Tori's speech.

"I'd like to see you do any better…" Candace said.

"Okay, I'll battle your friend," Katya replied.

"No," Candace said. "I want you to battle me. You act high and mighty, but let's see how you perform. Two-on-two?"

"Fine," Katya said.

"No fair," Kyle objected. "Candace, it's my turn to train. I need to get myself ready for my gym battle!"

"You can fight the next one hundred trainers we meet, for all I care. Just let me have this one," Candace said.

"Whatever…" he said. "I'll ref again, I guess. Get into position." They did so. "Ok, ready? GO!" he rallied.

"Torchic! Let's show them what you're made of!" Katya shouted as she sent Torchic out.

"Professor Maple suggested I work with Pachirisu…" Candace thought, "but…could sending it out to battle right now be a mistake? Katya'd never let me live it down if he…"

"Are you just going to stand there all day or what?" Katya asked.

"Pachirisu, I choose you!" Candace yelled as she sent out the little terror. Pachirisu looked around a bit and then stared at Torchic. Tori gasped.

"ARE…YOU…NUTS?" Kyle screamed. "WHAT ARE YOU THINKING CANDACE!"

"I'm thinking," Candace began, "that Pachirisu wants to play again," and she smiled.

"TORCHIC! Use Ember!" Katya ordered. Torchic shot embers at Pachirisu who jumped and did a somersault in the air, dodging them. "KEEP TRYING!" Katya ordered. Torchic kept shooting Embers at Pachirisu and Pachirisu kept dodging them.

"PUH PACHII! PUH PACHI PA! PUH PACHII PACHII!" he chanted as he jumped around, dodging the burning embers, irritating Torchic and having fun.

"Pachirisu use Quick Attack!" Candace yelled. Pachirisu was off. The white and blue blur whizzed and collided with Torchic before it or its trainer could comprehend what the hell was going on. Pachirisu used Torchic's head like a springboard and launched itself up into the air, a broad smile on his face.

"Now use Discharge!" Candace ordered and the Torchic was engulfed in blue sparks.

"TOR-CHIC!" it cried. Pachirisu came back down, landing on and bouncing off of the Torchic.

"PACHIIIIIIII" It squeemed and ran off somewhere. Candace ignored it. He'd come back…eventually.

"Torchic, return," Katya said as she took out Torchic's ball and returned him. "Sentret, it's all you!" she shouted as she sent out her other Pokemon. Candace looked down at Eevee.

"Ready to go?" she asked. Eevee nodded.

"VUI!" it said.

"Alright, Eevee, use Quick Attack!" Candace ordered.

"You too, Sentret," Katya added. Both Pokemon ran at each other with Quick Attack, but Sentret was much faster and not only avoided being hit by Eevee, but nailed Eevee as well.

"EEE," it cried.

"Kay, now use Fury Swipes!" Katya ordered. Sentret rapidly scratched at Eevee.

"Knock it away with your tail!" Candace suggested. Eevee whirled around and pushed Sentret away with her tail. "Good, now use Double Team!" she said. Eevee used double team and multiplied into a small gang of Eevee which surrounded Sentret.

"Sentret!" it cried, frozen with fear. Katya told it to jump out of there, but it was so overwhelmed that it didn't move.

"Bite it!" Candace ordered and all the Eevee pounced and bit the Sentret.

"SEHHHHHHHHHHN!" it cried and fell over. The extra Eevee poofed away. Katya returned her Pokemon, and left without saying anything other than, "I was careless..." She was embarrassed and frustrated and had nothing else to say to her rival. Eevee walked over and nuzzled her trainer's leg, so Candace picked her up. Pachirisu came flying out of nowhere and landed on Candace's head, cheering. She took out his Pokeball, pointed it at him, and called him back.

The trainers continued on their way to Larose. They traveled slowly, hoping to run into other trainers for Kyle to battle. They came across a small pond and someone was sitting and resting by it. He noticed the trainers and got excited.

"Hey I see you have Pokemon with you," he said. "You must be trainers. There haven't been many around these parts lately because of a week-long festival in Neon City so any trainers you find around here are pretty restless...so which of you are going to battle with me?" Tori blushed, Candace and Eevee rolled their eyes, Mime Jr. and Kyle looked pumped.

"I AM!" Kyle said excitedly. Mime Jr. chanted along with him. "Hey...Mime Jr.," he began, "uhm...I think I'm going to use one of the other Pokemon in this battle if that's ok with you." Mime Jr. got teary-eyed. Kyle felt bad but noticed something in the corner of his eye, he looked in its direction. A Cheri Berry bush...Mime Jr. had been out of Cheri Berries since the morning they met Pachirisu so they'd cheer him up for sure.

"Look Mime Jr., Cheri Berries!" He said. Mime Jr. cheered and ran to the bush to stock up. Kyle and the trainer agreed to have a two-on-two battle and positioned themselves. Candace would be the referee. Kyle decided to use Pichu and Phanpy.

"Poliwag, I choose you!" the trainer shouted and sent out a Poliwag.

"Pichu, let's go!" Kyle said and sent out his Pichu. The other trainer looked a little worried.

"Use Bubble!" he ordered.

"Hit them with Thundershock!" Kyle said. Pichu used Thundershock, popping the bubbles. "Good, now use it on Poliwag," he added. Pichu used Thundershock again.

"TO THE WATER!" the other trainer yelled and Poliwag jumped out of the way and landed in the pond, "now use Hypnosis!" he added.

"Poliwag!" it said as it shot Hypnosis at Pichu.

"Dodge it and use Thundershock on the water!" Kyle commanded.

"OH NO!" the trainer yelled in a panic. Pichu dodged Hypnosis and thundershocked the water, which made an even bigger impact on Poliwag than it would have if it was out of the water. Poliwag was motionless, floating on its back. Then a bunch of Magikarp came up and floated motionlessly on their sides around the Poliwag.

"Poliwag is unable to battle. Pichu wins!" Candace announced.

"Poliwag, return," the trainer said as he returned Poliwag to its ball. Kyle grabbed and hugged Pichu, telling him what a great job he did. Then he returned Pichu to his ball as well.

"All right," the other trainer said. "Let's get serious now. PIPLUP GO!" he shouted as he sent out a Piplup.

"I choose you, Phanpy!" Kyle shouted as he sent out Phanpy. "Use Headbutt, Phanpy!" Kyle ordered. Phanpy used Rollout instead, sending Piplup flying.

"Wha...Rollout? I told you to use Headbutt..." Kyle said.

"That Pokemon doesn't trust you at all," the other trainer said. "You're a weak trainer and Phanpy knows it."

"But I just beat your Poliwag!" Kyle objected. "With one hit too! And you STILL haven't even touched my Pokemon yet! How dare _you_ call _me_ weak." The other trainer grumbled to himself.

"Piplup, use Bubblebeam!" the trainer ordered.

"Dodge to the left!" Kyle said. Phanpy dodged to the right, but wasn't able to get clear out of the way and was hit with a powerful Bubblebeam.

"PHANPY!" it cried. Then it charged at the Piplup. It hit the Piplup, so hard that it hurt itself too.

"That...must be Take Down," Tori observed. "K-Kyle...it just learned Take Down!"

"COOL!" Kyle shouted, "OK PHANPY, USE TAKE DOWN AGAIN!" Instead, Phanpy used Rollout again.

"Use Whirlpool!" the other trainer ordered. Piplup shot a huge, swirling body of water from its mouth and launched it at Phanpy. Phanpy was already spinning because it had decided to use Rollout, so round and round it went. When the attack was over Phanpy was very dizzy and very hurt. It collapsed.

"Phanpy is unable to continue," Candace said. "It's a draw!" Kyle and the other trainer shook hands. The other trainer apologized for being rude.

"That's ok," Kyle said. "It was a good battle...I need to earn Phanpy's trust somehow." The other trainer wished him good luck and left. They heard giggling and turned to where it came from. A little girl and a little boy were standing there.

"You guys are loud," the girl said.

"We could hear you a mile away," said the boy.

"Oh really...and you just happened to get here so quickly from that far away? Not likely," Candace said.

"I'm Tiffany," said the girl.

"And I'm her brother Jason," said the boy.

"Who are you?" they said together. Tori, Candace, and Kyle introduced themselves.

"Are your Pokemon too tired to have another battle?" the girl asked.

"Or could the other two battle?" the boy asked. "We want a double battle. Do any two of you want to battle us?"

"Battle with me, Tori!" Kyle said. Tori blushed.

"Mar-I mean Flaaffy is tired I think," Tori said.

"Flaaffy is fine!" Candace said. "Battle with Kyle!"

"Okay..." she said. The four trainers got into position. Candace realized she hadn't seen Eevee since they arrived at the pond and looked around. Eevee was in the pond, swimming amongst the smoking Magikarp.

"Eevee, that's disgusting," she said. Eevee came out and shook the water all over her trainer. Candace looked pissed as she wiped fishy-smelling water out of her eyes. "Anyways..." she said. "LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!"

"NIDORAN GO!" the two small children shouted together. They sent out their Pokemon at the same time. The girl had a blue, female Nidoran; the boy had a pink, male Nidoran.

"Flaaffy, it's showtime!" Tori said as she sent out Flaaffy.

"Mime Jr.! Now it's your turn!" Kyle said then looked around. Mime Jr. was still at the Cheri Berry bush and had a pile of Cheri Berries sitting next to him that was as tall as five Mime Jr.'s stacked on top of each other.

"Mime Jr., I need your help!" Kyle said.

"Mima?" Mime Jr. turned around, bits of Cheri Berry stuck to it's face.

"I need your help! Get over here!" Kyle shouted. Mime Jr. ran over and saluted, before gesturing to the pile of Cheri Berries. "Yes, I'll make sure that they're safe," Kyle said and turned to Candace.

"Can you make sure that they get taken care of?" He asked. Candace nodded, and Kyle grinned his thanks before turning back to the issue at hand. "Alright then. Unless anyone has any objections, let's get this battle started!"

"Nidoran, use Fury Swipes!" Tiffany shouted, and the blue Nidoran charged forward, before raking Mime Jr. with her claws three times, in quick succession. Mime Jr. reeled back as Tiffany's Nidoran slashed at his face. Jason didn't speak, but his Nidoran took a deep breath and seemed to focus on Flaaffy, who shifted nervously.

"Our turn," Kyle said to Tori. "Mime Jr! Use Confusion!" The female Nidoran was thrown back. "Well done! Tori, your turn!"

"Oh, yeah," Tori said. "Flaaffy, use Thundershock!"

"FEEEEEEEEEEE!" Flaaffy cried as it sent a jolt of electricity at Tiffany's Nidoran. The Pokemon was blasted back by the attack, and staggered to it's feet, weaving unsteadily.

Tiffany looked worried for her Pokemon's health. "Nidoran! If you can, use Double Kick!" Nidoran dashed forward, before planting its feet in Flaaffy's face, sending the Pokemon falling to the ground.

"Flaaffy!" Tori cried, but the Pokemon stood up and shook itself, apparently all right.

Jason spoke: "Nidoran, use Poison Sting." His Nidoran started to run forward, moving almost at the speed of a Quick Attack, heading straight for Mime Jr. Just before he connected with Kyle's Pokemon, a pink blur streaked into the path of the attack. Nidoran's barb dug deep into Flaaffy's body, and the Pokemon collapsed.

"FLAAFFY!" Tori screamed, rushing to her Pokemon's side.

"Mime Jr., use…" He trailed off as Mime Jr. leapt into motion, slapping Jason's Nidoran across the face multiple times and sending the Pokemon flying back. "What was that?" he asked.

"Looked like a DoubleSlap," Candace said. "I guess it got angry at Flaaffy being hit and wanted to hit back."

"Well, I'll take what I can get," Kyle said. "Mime Jr! Keep it up!" The Pokemon continued to wail on the two Poison-type Pokemon, dodging the various attacks and repeatedly smacking each one, until finally, both Nidorans collapsed, unable to continue.

"The Nidorans are unable to battle! Kyle and Tori win!" Candace shouted. The two children started to babble on about how strong the big kids were, but Tori interupted:

"Look, we'd love to stay and chat with you buy my Flaaffy is really badly poisoned. We need to get to Larose now so I can take her to the Pokemon Center. Please don't be offended," she said. The small children didn't seem to mind, said good bye, and took off in the direction of Ethoria. Tori scooped up her Flaaffy, Candace handed Kyle a bag full of Cherri Berries and woke up Eevee who had fallen asleep during the battle. They all ran to Larose together. They decided that Candace and Kyle would check out a hotel room and Tori would spend the night at the Pokemon Center with her Flaaffy. They'd meet in the morning and go to the Larose Town Gym.

~_~_~  
Author Notes:

Read and review please. One again, I realize that the battles are short, but bear with me. They'll get longer soon.


	6. CH 6 Trust, Gym, and Wurmple Issues

**Chapter 6: Trust Issues, Gym Issues and Wurmple Issues **

The next morning, the three met up like planned. Flaaffy was feeling much better and had been returned to her ball. Candace asked Kyle if he was ready to challenge the Larose Gym Leader.

"No, you should go first…I want my Phanpy to trust me before I go in there," Kyle said, sadly.

"Well I want to challenge the gym leader at the same time as you, so I'll wait…" Candace said.

"How am I going to get him to trust me?" Kyle asked.

"Well…the best way to a Pokemon's heart is through its stomach. Maybe you should make breakfast today and give Tori a break," Candace suggested.

"Good idea!" Kyle said. His face suddenly fell. "Wait…we can't cook in the hotel room!"

"So we'll go to the park," Candace said. "Don't worry."

They went to the local park, Kyle broke out Tori's cooking gear, and soon a delicious smell floated among the trees and bushes. A Zigzagoon poked its snout out and sniffed the air.

"That smells great," Candace said. "What is it?"

"I don't really know," Kyle confessed. "I sorta just threw things in there."

"Well, let's give it a taste," Candace said. The three sat down to eat, and sent out their Pokemon to eat as well. Kyle served each person and Pokemon a plate of food, and they sat down. Kyle set a plate of the food in front of Phanpy, who sniffed suspiciously at it. The humans dug in, each taking a large bite of the food and chewing slowly. Then, as one, they turned and spat the food out on the ground next to them. The Pokemon did likewise. As human and Pokemon alike retched and scrubbed at their tongues, they heard a bark-like sound and turned to see Phanpy making the noise.

"Is he…laughing at us?" Tori asked. The others were too stunned to answer. They were even more stunned when Phanpy turned and took a large bite of the food, chewing it and swallowing it.

"He likes it, Kyle, he likes it!" Candace shouted in between rubbing her tongue with a napkin, and continued, "How, I'll never know…" Kyle walked over to Phanpy and Phanpy glared at him.

"I see you like it, Phanpy, I made it you know," Kyle said. Phanpy tried to ignore him and kept eating. "I can make it for you whenever you want. I just want you to listen to me! Heck you don't even have to like me, just use the moves I tell you to!" Phanpy rolled his eyes and nodded slightly. "Is that a yes?" Kyle asked. The Phanpy grunted and nodded more. "Good," he said and left the Phanpy to eat in peace.

"While you might have made friends with Phanpy through food, I think it's for the best that you never ever ever ever ever cook for us again," Candace said. Tori and all the Pokemon (save Phanpy) nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I think that's probably a good idea," Kyle said. "So…are we ready to challenge the gym now?"

"You bet!" Candace said. "Still want me to go first?"

"If you want," he replied.

"Alright," Candace said and the three returned their Pokemon (except of course for Eevee and Mime Jr.) and headed to the Larose Gym. Candace and Kyle took a deep breath and walked inside. There were trees, bushes, flowers, and various plants EVERYWHERE.

"Whoa…" Candace said as she looked around. She saw a pretty pink flower and went over to see it. She reached out to touch it.

"Careful…" someone with a soft, British accent said behind them. They turned around and saw a tall, thin man. His hair was huge, spiky, and green. He had dark purple eyes and was wearing a magenta shirt with an unzipped dark green jacket over it. His pants matched the jacket.

"That flower has poisonous barbs on it," he said, smiling. "I don't recommend touching it!"

"Oh…" Candace said. "Really?"

"Yes. If you get even a single drop of that poison in your blood, within two hours, you'll have extreme difficulty moving. Within three hours, you'll be totally paralyzed." Candace stepped away from the plant. "Oh and tomorrow, you'll probably be dead," he added. Then Candace took another several steps away, and then one more step for good measure.

"Are you gym challengers?" the man asked.

"Yes sir…well me and my brother anyway…is the leader in?" Candace asked.

"You're looking at him," he said. "My name is Oleander and I'm the Larose Town Gym Leader. What might I call you three?"

"I'm Candace," she said.

"And I'm Kyle!" Kyle exclaimed.

"I'm Tori…" Tori said timidly.

"Alright and my challengers are Candace and Kyle?" he asked.

"Yep!" the two siblings said in unison.

"Alright then!" he said excitedly. "Who's first?"

"I am," Candace said.

"Alrighty then, follow me to the arena," Oleander said and motioned for them to follow. He led them to another room and flipped a switch. The whole arena lit up. Vines stretched across the walls and the whole arena was covered in grass and flowers. He pointed at a set of bleachers and asked Kyle and Tori to take a seat. Mime Jr. went with them. Eevee stayed with Candace. Then Oleander whistled and a referee walked in. Candace, Oleander, and the referee walked down to the arena and positioned themselves.

"As you may or may not know, this gym leader uses grass and poison type Pokemon. This will be a three-on-three battle. The challenger is allowed to substitute Pokemon but the leader isn't. You may begin when I say go. Is the challenger ready?" the ref stated.

"All ready here," Candace said.

"Same for me," Oleander added.

"Alright then, on your marks…get set…GO!" the ref shouted.

"What…is it a race or something?" Kyle jokingly said from the bleachers.

"Bellsprout, go get em!" Oleander yelled as he sent out a Bellsprout. Candace thought a moment and decided she'd break out her fire Pokemon later.

"Pachirisu, you're up first!" she said as she sent out Pachirisu.

"Pachii pachii?" it said as it looked around. The walls were much too high for it to be able to run off. It frowned, before it noticed the Bellsprout and realized it was in the middle of a battle. It turned to the Bellsprout, smiling and producing small sparks from its cheeks.

"Use Razor Leaf now!" Oleander ordered. Bellsprout shot a bunch of leaves at Pachirisu.

"Jump!" Candace said and Pachirisu somersaulted into the air.

"PAH PACHII!" it chanted as it spun around, and then landed.

"Use Quick Attack!" she continued. Pachirisu charged at Bellsprout, faster than the eye could see.

"Stop it with Grass Knot," Oleander said. Bellsprout waved one of its leaves and a little root popped up in front of Pachirisu, and wrapped around his foot when he passed over it, tripping him.

"Chii," he cried, more confused than hurt. He tried to get his foot out but couldn't.

"Grab it with Vine Whip!" Oleander commanded. Vines shot from Bellsprout and wrapped around Pachirisu.

"Give it a toss," he continued. Bellsprout picked up Pachirisu and hurled him at a wall. Pachirisu hit the wall hard and slid down.

"PACHIISU!" he cried.

"Pachirisu, are you okay?" Candace shouted. Pachirisu sat up and grinned.

"She better think of something quick or this isn't going to last long…" Tori whispered to Kyle.

"She can do it. Even if it knocks out Pachirisu, she's still got Growlithe, remember?" Kyle replied.

"Oh, that's right!" Tori said. They both turned their attention back to the battle when Candace shouted her next command: "Jump up and use Discharge!" Pachirisu obeyed. It shocked the Bellsprout.

"BELLLLLL," it cried, but the attack didn't do a tremendous amount of damage, however. Pachirisu landed gracefully and glared at the Bellsprout.

"Guess we're gonna have to hit it harder than that…" Candace observed.

"Use Razor Leaf again," Oleander ordered. Bellsprout shot tons of leaves at Pachirisu once again. Pachirisu somersaulted into the air again.

"Pachirisu, keep flipping and use Discharge!" She said and immediately realized that that was a huge mistake. Blue sparks of electricity flew everywhere and shocked every living thing in the room. Everyone's hair frizzed out and stood up on their heads. Oleander's didn't seem to change much because it was already spiky and out of control.

"WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!" Kyle shouted as Mime Jr. shouted "MI MIMA MIMA!" along with him and then chucked a half-eaten Cheri Berry at Pachirisu.

"I'm sorry! I thought it would look pretty…." Candace said. She looked over at Pachirisu who was dancing from excitement. "Someone's going to have to learn how to control their electricity," she thought to herself.

"Grab it with Vine Whip!" Oleander shouted and Bellsprout grabbed Pachirisu once again. "Now pull it in and use Wrap," he continued. Bellsprout did so and squeezed Pachirisu. Candace didn't need to say anything, Pachirisu released a powerful Discharge in reaction to the pain.

"SPROUUUUUUTTT!" the Bellsprout cried as Pachirisu cried in pain as well. When the attack was over, Pachirisu was released. Bellsprout fell over in defeat and Pachirisu collapsed from exhaustion.

"Both Pokemon are unable to battle!" the ref announced. Candace and Oleander called their Pokemon back.

"You ready, Eevee? ….Eevee?" Candace turned around and saw Eevee vigorously brushing herself with one foot, trying to make the static go down and she glared at her trainer.

"Okie dokie then, Growlithe, you're up!" she said as she sent out her Growlithe.

"Bulbasaur, you're next!" Oleander said as he sent out a Bulbasaur.

"Whoa…what's that?" Kyle asked and took out his Pokedex, pointing it at Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokemon: For some time after its birth, it grows by gaining nourishment from the seeds on its back," the Dex informed.

"It's so cool…" Kyle noted. Tori smiled and directed her attention back to the battle.

"Use Ember, Growlithe!" Candace ordered. Growlithe shot embers out of his mouth and at the Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur, move out of the way and use Sleep Powder!" Oleander shouted. Bulbasaur dodged and shot an odd-looking dust at Growlithe, who tried to keep his eyes open with all his might, but failed and went to sleep.

"OH NO!" Candace shouted. "…Return." She called Growlithe back and grabbed Eevee. "Stop being a diva and GET IN THERE!" she said as she tossed Eevee into the arena.

"VEEE!" she cried as she flew in and landed right in front of Bulbasaur. It laughed at her and the wrath of Eevee had been unleashed.

"Eevee, use Shadow Ball!" Candace ordered. Eevee shot an unusually large Shadow Ball at the Bulbasaur and sent it flying.

"BULBA!" it cried.

"Now use Quick Attack!" Candace continued. Eevee charged at Bulbasaur.

"That's almost as fast as Pachirisu…" Tori said.

"Fast? Yes. As fast as Pachirisu? HECK NO!" Kyle objected. Eevee hit Bulbasaur and sent it flying again. This time it hit the wall and slid down in defeat.

"What power…" Oleander said. "I haven't seen power like that since…since…Daniel."

"Hm?" Candace thought.

"Alright, let's show her some REAL power, Weepinbell!" Oleander shouted as he sent out a Weepinbell. The Weepinbell let out a battle cry of some sort. Candace looked at Eevee who was panting hard.

"She really tired herself out…" Candace thought to herself. "She may not last long…"

"Eevee use Quick Attack!" Candace ordered. Eevee charged at Weepinbell, not nearly as fast as she just was.

"Razor Leaf!" Oleander shouted. Weepinbell shot a ton of leaves at Eevee. She cried out, stumbled back and fell over in defeat. Candace ran and picked her up and would continue to hold her for the rest of the battle.

"Oh Growlithe…You're all I have left…please be awake…please help!" Candace said as she sent out Growlithe once again. He was awake.

"GROW-OO!" he howled.

"Alright, use Ember!" Candace shouted. Growlithe hit Weepinbell with Ember but it didn't seem to do much.

"What the..." Candace said, shocked.

"You're going to have to do much better than that, Candace," Oleander said. "My Weepinbell has been trained to withstand a little heat."

"Growlithe, use Ember again, and give it all you've got!" Candace ordered. Growlithe tried again. Embers shot out of his mouth but seemed clumped together more and more the longer he did it. Soon, he was shooting a full-on Flamethrower at the Weepinbell.

"THAT'S GREAT!" Candace shouted. "Keep it up!" Growlithe continued to use Flamethrower until Weepinbell collapsed in defeat. Growlithe, apparently feeling a bit Pachirisu-ish, continued the Flamethrower, obscuring Oleander for a moment. When it cleared, Oleander's hair had been singed and his face was blackened slightly. The man coughed a bit of soot out. "Toasty…" He croaked. "Anyone order the extra crispy recipe?" He asked, looking at his Weepinbell.

"All of the Gym Leader's Pokemon are unable to battle. The challenger wins!" The ref announced. The Gym Leader walked over and handed Candace a Thorn badge, then called Kyle down. Candace asked Oleander if his Pokemon were well enough to battle again and he claimed to have three more. Candace and Growlithe ran up to the bleachers, with Candace carrying Eevee as Kyle ran down with Mime Jr. Kyle and Oleander positioned themselves and the ref explained that the same rules applied.

"Pichu, I choose you!" Kyle said as he sent out Pichu.

"Oddish, let's have a go!" Oleander said as he sent out what looked like a blue plant bulb with round feet, beady red eyes, and five leaves sprouting from its head. "I recently caught this Oddish," he began, "and this is my first battle with her."

"I recently caught my Pichu too!" Kyle began, "and this is my second battle with him!"

"Then this should be interesting…Alright Oddish, use Tackle!" Oleander said.

"Tail Whip!" Kyle ordered. Pichu smacked the Oddish away with his tail. "Good! Now use Thundershock!" Pichu zapped Oddish but it wasn't very effective.

"Oddish, use Acid!" Oleander shouted. Oddish shot a blob of purple goop at Pichu. When it connected, a sizzling sound could be heard and Pichu yelped in pain, scrubbing itself along the ground to get the acid off.

"PIIIICHA!" it cried.

"Pichu! If you're okay, jump onto the Oddish!" Kyle yelled. Pichu jumped onto the Oddish. "Good! Now use Sweet Kiss," he said. Pichu kissed the Oddish on its forehead, confusing it. The Oddish's eyes glowed red and it ran around hurting itself on the walls and tripping over its own leaves.

"The leader can't substitute Pokemon," Candace whispered to Tori. "Kyle's got this Oddish beat!" Oddish fell over from exhaustion, and probably a minor concussion as well. The ref announced that it was unable to battle, so Oleander called his Oddish back and sent out his next Pokemon.

"Budew! You're next! Use Bullet Seed!" Oleander said as he sent out a Budew. It then shot tons of large, round seeds towards Pichu at high speed.

"Pichu, use Tail Whip!" Kyle yelled. Pichu started wiping around and around, deflecting the seeds. A stray seed flew up and hit Eevee in the forehead. She regained consciousness.

"You okay, Eevee?" Candace asked.

"Eee," she said and turned her attention to the arena. Most of the seeds hit Budew and it was crying. Then it started glowing.

"Uh…oh…" Tori said. The Budew's shape started to change, and when the glowing subsided, it was a small Pokemon with a light green body, a leaf skirt and holding a rose on each of its hands.

"Excellent!" Oleander declared. "Roselia, use Poison Sting!"

"Jump out of the way and onto her head!" Kyle said. Pichu leapt at Roselia, but she smacked him down.

"Use Mega Drain, Roselia!" Oleander ordered. Roselia pointed her roses at Pichu and they began to glow. Pichu then began to cry in pain.

"Use Thundershock!" Kyle shouted. Pichu zapped the Roselia, which made her stop. "Great, now use Sweet Kiss!" he continued. Pichu jumped up and kissed the Roselia on the cheek. Roselia began to hurt herself as Oddish had until she too was defeated and the ref announced it so.

"Roselia, return," Oleander said as he called his Roselia back. "And now for my strongest Pokemon….IVYSAUR, LET'S GO!" He sent out an Ivysaur.

"IVY!" It shouted excitedly.

"Ivysaur hasn't battled in a while…not since I battled Daniel anyway," Oleander said.

"Daniel?" Kyle asked.

"He's an exceptional young trainer. His Pokemon are quite powerful," Oleander said, and then described him. He sounded an awful lot like the person Pachirisu ran into at the Department Store in Ethoria.

"I see…" Kyle said.

"Now Ivysaur, grab that Pichu with Vine Whip!" Oleander ordered and Ivysaur's Vines quickly shot out and seized Pichu.

"CHU!" Pichu cried.

"Now use Razor Leaf!" Oleander ordered. Ivysaur shot hundreds of leaves at Pichu, without missing. It then released its hold and Pichu fell to the ground. The ref announced that Pichu was unable to battle, rather unnecessarily – Pichu was lying facedown on the ground, leaves scattered around it, unconscious.

"Pichu!" Kyle cried. He called Pichu back to its ball. "Okay Mime Jr., it's your turn!" Kyle said. Mime Jr. ran to the battlefield. "Use DoubleSlap!" he said and Mime Jr. began to smack the Ivysaur with multiple hits.

"Make it stop! Grab its arms with your Vines, Ivysaur!" Oleander ordered. Ivysaur restrained Mime Jr.

"Use Confusion, Mime Jr.!" Kyle shouted.

"MIMA!" it yelled as its eyes started glowing blue and it used Confusion. Ivysaur released its grip on Mime Jr. and was sent flying back. He hit a wall and slid down, then got confused and his eyes turned red. He began to hurt himself like the other two did.

"Un…believable…" Oleander said in complete and utter shock. "All three…"

"Quick, while it's still confused! Jump on its back and use DoubleSlap again!" Kyle commanded. Mime Jr. jumped onto Ivysaur's back and rode it around, smacking it. At one point, Candace could have sworn that she heard a "Yee-HAW" from Mime Jr. as it slapped Ivysaur in the head and rode it piggyback-style around the gym until Ivysaur couldn't take it anymore and collapsed. The ref announced Kyle's victory and Candace and Tori cheered.

"Ivysaur return!" Oleander said as he returned Ivysaur to its ball. "Now…here's your Thorn Badge." Oleander walked over to Kyle and handed him his first gym badge.

"Great job you two!" He announced. "I wish you luck with the rest of your journey! See you around."

The three trainers, Eevee and Mime Jr. left and planned to head straight to the Pokemon Center. As soon as they walked out of the gym, they saw a Wurmple…glaring at Candace.

"Oh…I know you," Candace said to it. "Hehe…I almost squished you! Are you mad at me?" Wurmple used Poison Sting and sent a bunch of poison needles flying at her. Candace screamed and Eevee ran out in front of her to take the hit.

"Eevee!" Candace cried and knelt down beside her. She was poisoned. Candace reached for Growlithe's ball. "I'm going to fry your wormy little butt," she threatened as she enlarged Growlithe's ball.

"Wait!" Tori said. Candace looked at her. "L-let me take care of Wurmple…you and Kyle's Pokemon are much too tired…" Candace nodded. "Flaaffy!" Tori continued, "It's show time…" She sent out Flaaffy, but Wurmple seemed uninterested and lunged at Candace. Flaaffy smacked it away with her tail.

"Use Thundershock, the biggest one you can!" Tori said. Flaaffy shocked the Wurmple, causing it to fall over and curl up. "Pokeball…go!" she said as she threw a Pokeball. It rocked several times and stopped. The catch was successful. She smiled and picked up the ball. "Alright," she said. "To the Pokemon Center!"

~_~_~  
Author Notes:

Read and review please. Oleander is a type of poisonous plant/flower. This name is fitting for the Larose gym leader because he's a Poison/Grass-type Pokemon trainer.


	7. CH 7 Shocking Events

**Chapter 7: Shocking Events **

"Pichu, use Tail Whip!" Kyle ordered. Pichu whirled around and smacked a Skitty away.

Tori, Kyle, and Candace were now on their way to Rioja City to challenge the next gym. After defeating Oleander, the Larose Town Gym Leader, Candace and Kyle headed to the Pokemon Center with Tori to rest. There, Eevee was cured of her poisoning. They left first thing in the morning and ran into a trainer on the way, so Kyle challenged her to a battle. He was now in the middle of a pitched battle with his Pichu versus the opponent's Skitty.

"Wow, your Pichu has a pretty strong tail there," the Skitty's trainer said. "Have you considered taking the time to teach it Iron Tail?"

"Iron Tail?" Kyle asked.

"Watch," she said with a smile. "Skitty, use Iron Tail now!"

"MYA!" Skitty meowed happily and her tail began to glow silver. She whipped around, smacking Pichu, sending him flying into a tree. He poked his head out of the tree and looked puzzled.

"Whoa!" Kyle exclaimed.

"I know," the girl said. "Now Skitty, use Assist!" Skitty jumped up and her right paw began to glow. It then shot a giant Flamethrower at Pichu.

"Dodge it and use Thundershock!" Kyle shouted. Pichu jumped from the tree before the Flamethrower hit, so it hit the tree and its branches burst into flames.

"OH NO! What did we do?" the girl cried. "Does anyone have a Water Pokemon?" Everyone shook their heads and panicked.

"Totodile, use Water Gun!" a voice said. A Totodile came jumping from out of sight and tried to bite the burning leaves. He then fell down and started rolling around in pain. His trainer ran out from the bushes. He was the one that Pachirisu collided with at the Department Store way back when.

"No no no! Not Bite, WATER GUN!" he said. Totodile stood up and shook himself. He lunged up to bite the tree again, but his trainer grabbed it by the tail with one hand and its stomach with the other and pulled in opposite directions. A giant gout of water sprayed out and doused the burning tree. He set Totodile down, looked at the trainers with pity, and walked away. Totodile stayed behind for a few moments, dancing around and celebrating. The trainer came back and grabbed him by the head, then left again.

"Skitty return!" the Skitty's trainer said as she returned it to her Pokeball.

"Hm?" Kyle said and looked at her. "But…we're not done yet…."

"Ohhh we're done," she said. "Let's call it a draw."

"Draw? I was SO going to beat you," he said. She giggled.

"You know, you really should consider teaching Pichu Iron Tail," she said.

"How?" he asked.

"Work on making his tail stronger," she began. "It'll eventually develop into a full on Iron Tail like Skitty's."

"How…do I make it strong?" he asked.

"I'll let you figure that out," she said. "Be creative." And with that, she left. Kyle stared blankly.

"I have NO idea what I'm going to do," he said.

"Relax," Candace said. "You'll figure it out…let's just get to Rioja….wait where's Eevee?" They all looked around and Eevee was no where to be found. "EEVEE! WHERE ARE YOU!" she called.

"Growlithe!" Candace shouted as she sent out Growlithe. "Can you find Eevee for me? You know what she smells like, sniff her out."

"Grow," he said as he nodded. He stuck his nose up in the air and ran west.

"Hm? Did she go to Rioja without us?" Candace wondered as she and the others chased after Growlithe. He led them off the road. They followed him into some bushes and found a stream. Eevee was splashing around in it, happily. Candace smiled and walked over to pick her up.

"And what do you think you're doing? Hm?" she asked Eevee.

"VUI VUI!" Eevee cheered happily.

"She really likes the water…" Tori said.

"She won't even walk around though…she doesn't want to mess up her fur…why she plays in the water…just doesn't make sense to me…" Kyle said. They shrugged and continued their way to Rioja. They got there in good timing. It was only noon. They stopped somewhere for lunch and Candace and Kyle admired their Thorn Badges while they waited for food. They both had picked up badge cases at the Pokemart in Larose on their way out. Candace's was pink and black. Kyle's was blue and black. They both matched.

"There's another gym in this town," Candace said.

"I know," Kyle replied.

"I don't want to battle two gyms, two days in a row though," she said.

"Me neither," he agreed. Tori was watching the TV and they all directed their attention to it, even Eevee.

"As you know, today is the last day of the annual Neon Festival here in Neon City!" a reporter announced on the screen. "It'll end tonight with a bang too! That's right! There will be a dazzling showcase of fireworks! Don't worry if you can't make it out because we're getting all right here. Let the countdown begin!" a little clock popped up in the bottom right corner of the screen, counting down. "And don't forget," she continued, "if you couldn't make it to this marvelous event, be sure to come on down to Neon City for the Contest in one week!" Tori gasped and Candace grinned.

"Hear that?" Candace asked.

"Yes…" Tori replied.

"We SO have to get there and enter that contest!" Candace exclaimed.

"But…we don't even…we haven't even…we need to…" Tori couldn't get the right words out.

"We need to practice you mean?" Candace guessed. "Of course! The gym battle can wait. Let's you and me head on over to the park and practice for the contest. We can come up with routines and everything."

"Ok!" Tori agreed.

"BORING!" Kyle interrupted, "Me and Pichu are going to go train by ourselves, thank you very much. I'm not interested in watching sparkles and shininess…"

"Fine," Candace said.

"C'mon Mime Jr.…" he said as he got up. Mime Jr. saluted and then jumped from its seat, following him out of the restaurant.

"KYLE, GET BACK HERE AND HELP US PAY THE BILL NOW!" Candace shouted but it was too late. Kyle headed north a ways. He was about fifteen minutes away from Rioja when he sent out Pichu.

"Ok, Pichu," he said. "We're going to teach you Iron Tail!" Pichu cocked his head. "Mime Jr., go get that piece of wood!" he said. Mime Jr. ran over and picked up a piece of wood that was laying on the side of the road. "Ok, hold it up," he continued. Mime Jr. held the piece of wood above his head. "Ok, now Pichu, slice through it with your tail!" Pichu looked at his trainer, then at the board, and then at his trainer again as if to say, "Are you out of your flippin' mind?"

"Um…let's start with something easier I guess….just….smack the board? HOLD IT TIGHT MIME JR.!" Kyle ordered. Pichu used Tail Whip on the board over and over again. Mime Jr. struggled to keep it steady. Every once in a while, Kyle would throw in commentary like "keep your tail stiffer!" or "hit it harder!" They moved on to practicing on trees and rocks. Kyle would occasionally stop and have Pichu perform ridiculous exercises with his tail such as tail-ups and weight lifting with stones. After a while, Pichu collapsed with exhaustion.

"Come on, Pichu, can't you keep going?" Kyle asked. He walked over to Pichu and reached down to pick him up. Pichu didn't want to be bothered and used Thundershock. Kyle was fried and fell over. He tilted his head back and saw two white, furry feet on each side of his head. He looked up and a Zangoose was standing right over him with a blackened face and a ticked off expression.

"Pichaaa," Pichu cried when it had seen what it had done. Mime Jr. used confusion, knocking the Zangoose away. Zangoose roared and Kyle jumped up, grabbed his two Pokemon and ran. The Zangoose followed them, as angry Pokemon intent on turning creatures who annoy them into Swiss Cheese are apt to do. Kyle didn't exactly have any place in mind to run to, but he knew he had to get out of there. He ran and ran, jumping over bushes and tripping over roots. All of a sudden, the ground disappeared from underneath him and he fell into a deep ditch. He hit the bottom hard, which frightened Pichu, and it used Thundershock again, toasting both Kyle and Mime Jr. Then it rubbed the back of its head and looked at them with an apologetic expression.

They heard growling and looked up. The Zangoose was snickering at them. It disappeared for a moment and they let out a sigh of relief. It didn't last long, however, as the Zangoose returned with an armful of fist sized rocks. He set them down beside him, grinned evilly, and then started hurling the rocks at them.

"MIMA!" Mime Jr. cried and covered its head. Kyle did the same. Pichu, however, jumped around, deflecting the rocks with his tail. Not a single rock hit Kyle or Mime Jr. Pichu stuck its tongue out at Zangoose who then growled and walked away again. This time it came back with a boulder. Pichu panicked and hid itself in Kyle's backpack.

"Mime Jr. use Confusion!" Kyle ordered. As Zangoose hurled the boulder, Mime Jr.'s eyes began to glow blue and it lifted its arms. The boulder flew back up and nailed the Zangoose in the stomach. It went flying back into the trees somewhere.

"That was great, Mime Jr.," Kyle said. "…Now how do we get out…" They all panicked a little. They eventually settled down and figured someone would come find them. Pichu and Mime Jr. took turns yelling for help. A few hours passed by. Pichu and Mime Jr. were exhausted and had stopped. They heard rustling up above and all three yelled together. Then a familiar face appeared over them.

"CHUCKY!" Kyle cried. "HELP US!"

"Gee…what happened?" he asked. "Don't worry…I'll getcha out! Chikorita use Vine Whip!" Vines extended down into the pit. Kyle grabbed onto his Pokemon as the vines wrapped around him. A Chikorita pulled him out and he looked around. Chucky had six Pokemon with him: Mudkip, Chikorita, Starly, Wurmple, Shinx, and Rattata.

"WOAH! You already have six Pokemon?" Kyle asked.

"Hehe, I have more than that. The rest are with Professor Maple. We were all just having a snack. Are you okay? What happened?" Chucky asked.

"It's a long story…I'll tell you later maybe, but not right now. I need to go check in with my sister…she may be worried," Kyle said. "Thanks again."

"No problem!" Chucky said. "See ya around." Kyle nodded and ran back to Rioja city. He found Tori and Candace sitting at a bench laughing and talking. Candace was brushing her sleeping Eevee and Flaaffy was on the ground eating a variety of berries. They all noticed Kyle.

"Where have you been?" Candace asked.

"Training…" Kyle said.

"Hehe. You'll never guess what happened," Candace said.

"What?" Kyle asked.

"Tori…" Candace said, looking at Tori. Tori took a Pokeball out and threw it. A Silcoon came out. "YOU MISSED IT!" Candace shouted. "HER WURMPLE EVOLVED!"

"Al…ready?" Kyle asked.

"Bug Pokemon evolve quickly, K-Kyle…and we were working with her for hours….so…" Tori said.

"Oh, well I guess that makes sense," Kyle said.

"Pichu looks exhausted," Candace observed. Kyle looked down. He was cradling Pichu in his arms and it was fast asleep. Mime Jr. was at his side. "Let's head to the Pokemon Center," she concluded, and so they did. They stayed overnight.

In the middle of the night, Pichu woke up and snuck out. He walked out of town and back to where they had been training when they had encountered the Zangoose. He trained there for the remainder of the night, trying to develop Iron Tail. He made some progress; his tail would glow slightly occasionally, but it wasn't enough. He had a long way to go before he had this move mastered.

It was dawn and Pichu was sprawled across the ground on his back when he realized he should probably get back before anyone noticed he was missing. He stood up and ran back on all fours. He came in as quietly as he could, but Nurse Joy spotted him.

"There you are," she said. "Where have you been? Get back to your bed. Oh you look exhausted…I'm going to have to insist that your trainer not take you to that Gym today. You're in no condition to battle." Pichu sighed, hopped onto his bed, and went to sleep.

A few hours later, Kyle woke up and walked into the other room. There, he saw Tori and Candace talking to a local. Candace thanked the person and he left. Candace and Tori then turned to Kyle.

"Good morning!" Candace said. Tori smiled and blushed.

"What was that about?" Kyle asked.

"Oh, we're just getting some information," Candace replied. "About the Rioja City Gym Leader."

"Oh yeah?" Kyle asked, sitting down at a table. The girls joined him.

"Yup! She uses Electric-type Pokemon and she's stronger than Oleander. Apparently, when she was a kid, she lived pretty much exclusively with Electric-type Pokemon, and she almost lives for battling nowadays. She's not there right now though. She's off at Neon City to visit her sister and enjoy the festival. She should be back today though." Candace explained.

"Well then, let's go wait for her!" Kyle declared excitedly and got up to get Pichu.

"NOT SO FAST!" Nurse Joy said, grabbing him. "Your Pichu was up all night doing God knows what…He came in early this morning, exhausted. He is in absolutely no condition to fight in a gym battle. You best wait a day or two to challenge her. In the mean time, you should work with your other Pokemon. Leave Pichu here."

Kyle stared blankly. "Oh…okay," he said. Candace giggled. She and Tori stood up and started to leave. "Hey, where you going?" Kyle asked.

"To train," Candace replied.

"For the gym battle or the contest?" Kyle asked.

"Both," Candace said.

"Pfft. I'll go train by myself," he said. He and Mime Jr. left to go challenge random trainers outside the city. He would work with Mime Jr. and Phanpy that day. They battled no less than fifteen trainers total that day, leaving Kyle's Pokemon tired but not badly injured.

The girls practiced in the park again that day. Although they practiced mainly for the contests, they also accepted any challenges from local and passing trainers. Again, their Pokemon were tired but unhurt at the end of the day.

They met up when it got dark and check into a hotel room.

~_~_~  
Author Notes:

Read and review please.


	8. CH 8 Electra Frying

**Chapter 8: Electra Frying**

Tori woke up first the next morning. She called room service so that they could eat breakfast and head out as soon as possible. She figured that Candace and Kyle would appreciate it because they were eager for their next gym battle.

Mime Jr. woke up next and sat on the foot of Tori's bed with her. She petted him while she waited for room service. When room service arrived, the others were still asleep, so Pachirisu popped out of his Pokeball on his own and decided to take matters into his own paws. He would be their alarm clock for the day.

"PACHIIIIIIIIIII!" he cried as he fried Candace, Kyle, and Eevee. Pachirisu danced around excitedly and chanted to himself at the sight of their socket hair.

"BAD PACHIRISU!" Candace scolded. "And stop bouncing around like that! You're going to break something and I'm going to have to pay for it!" Pachirisu cocked his head and looked at her as if to say, "As long as I have fun breaking it, I don't care if you have to pay for it."

Eevee and Kyle just glared at Pachirisu and Eevee tried to straighten her fur back out with one foot. Candace looked at her.

"Eevee…I know you know Dig…" she said. Eevee gasped. Candace continued, "I haven't asked you to use it because I know you hate getting dirty, but if we're challenging an Electric-type gym today and the arena is on dirt, it would be really helpful to use that move."

"Vee…" Eevee said and sighed to herself. She looked back at her trainer, smiled, and nodded.

"That's great!" Candace said.

"Um…good morning everyone!" Tori said. "I ordered room service!" She pointed to the small table in the corner which had some covered plates of food on it. The three trainers let out all of their Pokemon and ate breakfast together. After breakfast, they got ready and checked out right away.

"Ok, so you first?" Candace asked.

"Yup!" Kyle said with a nod. The gym wasn't far from the hotel.

They stopped in front of the Rioja Gym, a flowing, futuristic-looking building that looked as if it had been sculpted by hand out of plastic and steel. As they stepped closer, the door slid open and a young man stepped out, a quiet smile on his face and bouncing a small item in his hand. It was the same boy that Pachirisu had knocked over. He looked at the trio for a moment, before walking away, tucking the badge into his jacket.

The three entered the building, and Tori immediately collapsed. Kyle ducked as the bundle of sparking wires that had shocked Tori swung by again, narrowly missing Candace, who also ducked the live wires and helped Kyle drag Tori out from under them. The younger girl slowly came around, her blond hair standing on end. "What happened?" she asked.

"You got zapped," Candace said, looking around. The gym looked as if a bomb had hit it. The arena was pitted and had scorch marks scattered across it, and the walls had holes blown in them.

They saw a group of Magnemite levitating a section of wall back into place, and an Electivire toting around large piles of plastic sheeting.

"Can I help you?" a harried voice said. The three turned away from the repairs taking place and saw a wiry woman standing behind them. Her blond hair stood in wavy spikes with black tips, and her yellow eyes were focused squarely on them.

"Yeah," Candace said. "We're looking for the Gym Leader, Electra."

"That's me. Look, as you can see, we're in the middle of some major repairs after the last battle. That kid didn't exactly hold back, as you can see," the woman said.

"Should we come back later then?" Candace asked.

"NO! I want to challenger her NOW!" Kyle whined.

"Hm…I can take one challenger today and the other two tomorrow I suppose…" she said.

"Oh well actually, only two of us are going to battle you," Candace said.

"Oh, ok…and who are you all?" the Gym Leader said.

"I'm Kyle," Kyle began, "this is my sister Candace and our friend Tori. Tori is just here to watch."

"And you'll be battling first?" Electra asked.

"You bet!" Kyle said.

"Alright, well there's the battle field…or what's left of it anyway," Electra pointed. Unlike Oleander's gym, this gym only had one room and a door leading to a supplies closet or something. The arena, surprisingly enough, was on a large dirt patch. Candace smiled at this.

Candace and Tori sat in a set of bleachers which had a huge chunk in the center blown away. Eevee jumped into Candace's lap. "That boy's Pokemon sure are strong…" Candace thought to herself, "or maybe Electra's Pokemon did this…who knows…we better be careful anyway."

Kyle and Electra positioned themselves. One of her assistants stumbled over to ref, dodging wires and jumping over debris.

"Alright," the ref said. "This will be a three-on-three battle. The challenger may substitute Pokemon at any time, but the leader cannot. Are both sides ready?"

"Ready!" Kyle and Electra said together with a nod.

"Then let the battle begin!" the ref announced.

"Luxio, come on out!" Electra shouted as she sent out a Luxio. Kyle pointed his Pokedex at it.

"Luxio, the Spark Pokemon: It rests its forelegs on others to communicate with rhythmic electric pulses from its claws. This strong electric energy in its sharp claws can cause a Pokemon to faint," the Dex informed.

"Better watch out for those claws…" Kyle thought. "Okay," he said, "Mime Jr. you're up first!"

"MIMA!" Mime Jr. said and ran out in front of Luxio. "Mime…" it said as it looked at the big scary Luxio.

"Don't let that intimidating look get to you!" Tori shouted from the bleachers. Mime Jr. nodded and looked pumped again.

"Let's start this with Thunderbolt!" Electra ordered. Yellow electricity discharged from Luxio and came at Mime Jr.

"Confusion!" Kyle shouted. Mime Jr. used Confusion and shot the Thunderbolt right back at Luxio.

"Quick Attack!" Electra said. Luxio moved out of the way quickly and charged at Mime Jr.

"Confusion again!" Kyle said. Mime Jr. stopped Luxio in its tracks and then sent it flying backwards.

"LUXIO!" it cried as it hit a wall. Its eyes turned red and it began thrashing around. It was confused.

"Déjà vu…" Candace said as they watched it hurt itself.

"Snap out of it!" Electra yelled.

"Use Double Slap!" Kyle shouted. Luxio snapped out of its confusion but it was too late to avoid Mime Jr.'s Double Slap.

"MIME. MIME. MIME. MIME. MIME," he said as he smacked Luxio around. Luxio fell in defeat.

"Luxio is unable to battle!" the ref announced.

"Return!" Electra said. "Now, Jolteon, it's your turn!" She threw out a Jolteon

"Jolteon!" it said.

"A Jolteon!" Candace said excitedly and looked down at Eevee. "Look Eevee, that's one of the things you could evolve into."

"Vee?" it cocked its head and looked at the Jolteon. Candace pointed her Pokedex at it.

"Jolteon, the Lightning Pokemon: It controls ten thousand-volt power and can raise all the fur on its body as if it were sharp needles. If agitated, it uses electricity to straighten out its fur and launch it in small bunches," the Dex informed.

"Try to fire this back at us," Electra said with a smile. "Use Thunder!" There was a pause as Jolteon closed her eyes. Then she opened them again and glared at Mime Jr. A powerful bolt of electricity fired from above and completely fried Mime Jr.

"Mime Jr. is unable to battle," the ref announced.

"Mime Jr.!" Kyle screamed and ran over to scoop up his Pokemon. "Are you ok?" he asked?

"Mima…" it said weakly with a smile. Kyle walked back to his place with Mime Jr. and sent out Phanpy.

"PHEE!" It trumpeted, stomping the ground.

"Jolteon, use Pin Missile!" The fur on Jolteon's back stood up in spikes and fired at Phanpy.

"Dodge it, Phanpy!" The Pokemon dodged to the right, managing to be only winged by one of the pins.

"Why isn't she using Thunder? That move would take out Phanpy in a heartbeat," Tori asked Candace.

"Phanpy is a Ground type. Electric-type moves won't do anything," Candace replied.

"Phanpy, use Rollout!" Kyle ordered. The Long Nose Pokemon curled into a ball and rolled at Jolteon at high speed. Although Jolteon tried to dodge out of the way, it didn't quite make it. It was hit by the move and knocked to the ground. Phanpy, still rolling, turned and came back around, hitting Jolteon repeatedly. On the fourth turn, Jolteon finally managed to stagger out of the way, and Phanpy rolled straight into the wall, going straight through and putting a hole in it.

"Darn it! We're just fixing the other holes!" Electra shouted. There was silence for a moment, before Phanpy came rolling in again, putting yet another hole in the wall and coming out of its spin in front of Kyle. "That's it. Jolteon, use Double Kick!"

"Phanpy, use Take Down!" The Pokemon moved at the same time, colliding and knocking up a cloud of dust. When the dust cleared, Phanpy was standing over Jolteon, winded but still mobile. It gave a triumphant blast from its trunk, before walking back to Kyle. "You did good, Phanpy," the boy said, scratching it behind the ears.

"Jolteon is unable to continue!" the ref announced.

Electra was stone-faced as she called Jolteon back. "It's time to end this. Raichu, let's bring it home!" she said as she threw a Pokeball, which released a vicious-looking Raichu that immediately snapped upright, almost at attention. "Raichu, use Slam!" Without giving Phanpy a chance to move, the Pokemon wrapped its tail around Phanpy's midsection, before tossing it clear across the arena, slamming it into the wall. "Keep using Slam!" The Raichu beat the Phanpy back and forth across the ring, not giving it a chance to move at all.

"Phanpy, get away from him! Use Defense Curl!" Phanpy curled into a tight ball.

"I was hoping you'd use that," Electra said. "Raichu! Use Mega Kick!"

"Mega WHAT?" Kyle shouted. In response, the Raichu reared back and punted the rolled-up Phanpy across the arena, sending it crashing to the floor in a heap.

"Phanpy is unable to battle!" the ref shouted, rather unnecessarily. Kyle returned Phanpy to its ball, a sad look on his face. "I'm sorry, buddy. You did your best, and I'm proud of you." He took a deep breath to steady himself, before enlarging his last ball and said, "Pichu, its all you!" Pichu popped out, took one look at the Raichu in front of it, and began shaking in fear. "Pichu, use Thundershock!" he ordered.

The Pichu focused and send a bolt of electricity at Raichu, who simply sat there, as if to say, "What exactly was _that_ supposed to do?" A moment later, Tori voiced this question to Candace.

"He's desperate. He doesn't know what to do. Pichu doesn't stand much of a chance against Raichu," Candace replied. As if to prove her point, Raichu's tail snaked out and caught one of Pichu's ears, snapping it across the arena.

"Pichu, run around! Stay away from him!" Kyle ordered. The Pichu accelerated, running around the ring and dodging Raichu's attacks.

"He's buying time," Candace whispered to Tori. "Good move. He's trying to not be rushed in his decisions. However, whatever he does next is probably going to be his last move. Pichu looks pretty winded." 'Pretty winded' was an understatement – Pichu looked ready to collapse.

"Man, I hope this works…" Kyle muttered. "Pichu, use Iron Tail!"

"PIII!" it said as it leapt for Raichu. His tail began to glow and he turned so that it would hit Raichu, but the glowing subsided before it got the chance to hit the Raichu. It bounced of Raichu and landed. "Chu?" it said, pausing for a moment to stare at its tail. That was enough for Raichu. Wrapping its tail around Pichu's neck, it began beating the helpless Pokemon against the floor, slamming it repeatedly. Pichu started to scream.

"ENOUGH!" Kyle screamed, watching his Pokemon be beaten senseless. "I forfeit! Just stop it!" he shouted. The boy was practically in tears.

"Raichu, enough!" Electra said. The Mouse Pokemon unwrapped its tail from around Pichu and stood at attention, as if waiting for orders. Pichu collapsed to the ground, and looked at his trainer, shocked. Pichu then ran over and jumped into his trainer's arms, and they hugged each other.

"The challenger has forfeited the battle! Electra wins!" the ref shouted.

"She's very powerful…" Candace observed.

"And harsh…" Tori added.

"Better luck tomorrow," Electra said to Kyle. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some repairs to make." Kyle nodded and left, Pichu on one shoulder and Mime Jr. on the other. The girls joined him as he was leaving and they went to the Pokemon center for Kyle to rest his Pokemon.

Phanpy was a quick healer and was all better within the hour, and it gave Candace had an idea. She offered to help Phanpy learn Dig. Kyle said that was fine so she and Eevee walked outside with Phanpy, but Kyle stayed inside and stroked Pichu and Mime Jr. As Pichu nuzzled his hand, Kyle wondered how he could make Pichu's tail stronger. He asked Tori what she thought, and Nurse Joy overheard and left the room. Tori just shrugged.

A few minutes later, Nurse Joy returned with some berries and said, "These berries help make Pokemon more friendly. I can tell that your Pichu already likes you a lot. I'm not sure if you know this or not but when a Pichu fully loves and trusts its trainer, it will evolve into Pikachu. You should try to pamper it as much as possible. Maybe evolution is just the boost it needs to master Iron Tail and win your gym battle."

"Thanks!" Kyle said as he grabbed the tray of berries. There were Pomeg, Kelpsy, Qualot, Hondew, Grepa, and Tamato Berries on it. He fed Pichu one of each.

"Pichu! Picha!" Pichu cheered with a smile. He then jumped onto Kyle's shoulder and nuzzled his neck. Mime Jr. felt left out so Kyle hugged him.

"Aww how cute!" Candace said.

"Huh?" Kyle looked over. "Hey, where's Phanpy?" Candace didn't say anything but motioned for him to follow. They walked outside and there were holes everywhere.

"Phanpy and Eevee," Candace said. "use Dig!" Both Pokemon popped up out of the ground next to them. Eevee was filthy but appeared to be having fun anyway. "He's been out here training since he got better. He's been practicing with Take Down, Rollout, Defense Curl, and of course Dig, so that Raichu doesn't get him again," Candace said. Seeing Phanpy training, Mime Jr. and Pichu decided that they wanted to as well. Mime Jr. used Confusion to hold up a nearby plank of wood. Pichu then tried to use Iron Tail on it.

"Huh?" Kyle said. "Hm…fine, but don't overdo it, guys." They trained for about an hour and then relaxed at the park for the rest of the day. Kyle paid a lot of attention to Pichu that day, but it didn't evolve. It was all right though, because Pichu's Iron Tail was really improving. It managed to slice through the piece of wood earlier and had pretty much mastered it but still needed more power.

They checked into a hotel room again that night and went to bed early. Kyle woke up first the next morning and woke the others up too. They ordered room service again, ate breakfast, got ready, and headed straight for the gym. When they got inside, it looked completely different. It had completely been repaired.

"Back again?" Electra asked.

"Yup! And I'm first again," Kyle replied.

"Well let's see what you can do now, then," she said. She asked one of her assistants to ref and they all positioned themselves.

"The same rules apply as yesterday," the ref began, "are both sides ready?"

"Yes!" Electra and Kyle said together.

"Then begin!" the ref said.

"Magnemite, let's go!" Electra shouted as she sent out a Magnemite.

"Magnemite?" Kyle asked.

"You didn't think I'd use all the same Pokemon as yesterday did you?" she asked.

"It doesn't matter," he replied as he took out and expanded a Pokeball. "Phanpy, I choose you!" Phanpy came out and scraped one foot against the ground. He was mad about losing before and was ready for a second round.

"Magnemite, use Sonic Boom!" Electra ordered. Magnemite's magnets began to glow and it twirled, releasing two boomerang-shaped waves of energy at Phanpy.

"Use Dig!" Kyle commanded. Phanpy dug quickly and buried itself underground.

"MAG-NEH-MITE…" Magnemite said as it looked around, wondering were Phanpy would come up. Phanpy came up from under it and hit it hard from below, sending it spinning. He landed and Magnemite was still rotating from the impact.

"Get a hold of yourself," Electra shouted, "and use Metal Sound!" Horrible sounding screeching began to emit from Magnemite's Magnets. Phanpy winced.

"Into the ground again!" Kyle ordered. Phanpy dug its way underground again.

"Quick, don't let it hit you this time! Use Magnet Rise!" Magnemite's body became outlined in yellow and it rose up as Phanpy came up, causing him to miss. He landed and glared angrily at the Magnemite.

"Use Dig again!" Kyle ordered.

"Can't you see that's not going to work?" Electra taunted.

"Come back up with a Rollout!" Kyle yelled. Phanpy came out of the ground and immediately went into a Rollout, somersaulting up and hitting Magnemite hard. Magnemite hit the ceiling and came crashing back down into the ground, bouncing hard.

"Magnemite is unable to battle!" the ref announced.

"Magnemite, return!" Electra said as she called it back to her Pokeball. "Now Luxio, take it down!" She sent Luxio out, and its intimidating look didn't seem to affect Phanpy.

"Use Dig!" Kyle ordered. Phanpy dug into the ground.

"This is getting old," Electra said. "Luxio, use Double Team!" Luxio multiplied into about ten Luxio and Phanpy came up but didn't hit the right one.

"Now use Crunch!" Electra ordered. The other Luxio disappeared and the real Luxio dug its sharp fangs into Phanpy.

"Use Rollout to break free!" Kyle yelled. Phanpy curled into a ball, began to spin and broke lose of Luxio's grasp. It hit the ground and bounced back, rolling over Luxio. It rolled over it several times and stopped.

"Use Take Down!" Kyle ordered. Phanpy charged at Luxio with all its might and rammed into it hard. They both fell over. Phanpy was exhausted.

"Both Pokemon are unable to go on!" the ref announced.

"Return!" they said together as they called both Pokemon back.

"Raichu, let's finish this!" Electra shouted as she sent out her Raichu. Kyle gulped.

"Pichu, I choose you!" he said as he threw Pichu's ball. Pichu came out, looking pumped.

"Take that runt out with Slam!" Electra ordered.

"Stay away from Raichu!" Kyle shouted. He then realized something and smiled. "Jump into one of Phanpy's holes!" Pichu jumped into a hole and Raichu couldn't get to it.

"Send a Thunderbolt after it!" Electra ordered.

"RAIIII-CHUUUUUUUUU!" it shouted, putting its paws to its cheeks and sending a powerful jolt of electricity into the hole after Pichu.

"Get out of there and use Iron Tail," Kyle yelled. Mime Jr. raised a fist and cheered Pichu on. Pichu came out from a hole behind Raichu, his tail glowing and he whipped around and hit Raichu across the head with it. It then jumped out of the way, as Raichu's electricity emerged from the same hole, so it shocked Raichu.

"CHU!" it cried. Electra gasped.

"Use Mega Punch!" she ordered. Raichu pulled an arm back and its paw began to glow. It launched it forward at Pichu but when it was extended enough, Pichu simply ran up its arm and onto its head.

"Use Sweet Kiss!" Kyle ordered. Pichu kissed Raichu on the forehead and Raichu's eyes began to glow red. Then it started to thrash around, so Pichu jumped off to avoid getting hurt. Raichu slammed itself around, taking serious damage.

"Use Thundershock, Pichu!" Kyle yelled. Pichu shocked Raichu as hard as it could and Raichu fell over.

"Raichu is unable to battle! The challenger wins!" the ref announced.

"ATTA BOY!" Candace cheered!

"He did it!" Tori cheered!

"PICHU YOU'RE AMAZING!" Kyle yelled and scooped up Pichu. Mime Jr. joined the hug. All of a sudden, Pichu started glowing.

"Oh?" Electra said as Pichu's shape changed. The glowing stopped and Pichu had evolved into Pikachu!

"Erm…that would have been more useful five minutes ago," Candace joked. Tori giggled and Kyle rambled about how awesome and cool this was. Candace stood up and walked down.

"Alright, my turn," she said. Kyle called his newly evolved Pikachu back to its ball and ran up to join Tori in the bleachers.

"I think I'll start out with Jolteon this time," Electra said and sent out her Jolteon.

"And I'll start with Growlithe!" Candace said as she sent out her Growlithe. He howled.

"Use Thunder!" Electra ordered.

"Flame Wheel!" Candace shouted. Growlithe nodded and shot out what looked to be Flamethrower but then started somersaulting and soon became a rotating ball of fire. Thunder hit but reflected off the fireball.

"Flame Wheel?" Kyle asked.

"He learned that while we were practicing at the park," Tori said.

"Now hit Jolteon!" Candace shouted. The rotating ball of fire rolled forward and collided hard with the Jolteon.

"JOLT!" it cried as it flew back.

"Jolteon!" Electra shouted. Jolteon landed on all fours and looked at the Growlithe. "Use Quick Attack!" Electra ordered. Jolteon charged forward.

"Brace yourself and use Bite!" Candace shouted. Growlithe planted himself firmly and opened his mouth.

"Déjà vu," Tori said and smiled. "Hopefully, she'll remember to tell him to let go this time. Otherwise, he won't."

"He won't?" Kyle asked.

"No…" she replied. "According to the Pokedex, Growlithe are so loyal that they won't even move unless given a command from their trainer."

"Whoa…" Kyle said. The Jolteon hit but Growlithe chomped down on its head, reducing the impact.

"Let go and use Sand Attack!" Candace ordered. Growlithe released his grip, turned around and kicked dirt up into Jolteon's face with his hind legs. Jolteon closed its eyes and shook its head, trying to clear its eyes.

"Use Thunderbolt!" Electra ordered. Jolteon couldn't see clearly and missed widely, melting a hole in the plastic sheeting on one wall.

"Tackle!" Candace yelled and Growlithe tackled Jolteon. Jolteon struggled to get back up. "Now finish it," Candace continued, "use Flamethrower!" Growlithe shot a huge flame from its mouth at close range, torching Jolteon.

"Jolteon is unable to battle!" the ref announced.

"Jolteon, return…" Electra said as she called her Pokemon back and put it away. "Gee…you and that boy sure are frying me…but it ends here. Ampharos, you're up!" She sent out a Pokeball and out came a powerful looking Ampharos. "I'd like you to meet Ampharos," she continued, "my strongest Pokemon."

"Use Flamethrower," Candace ordered. Growlithe shot a flame at Ampharos but the Ampharos jumped out of the way, dodging it easily.

"Use Cotton Spore and then Thunder!" Electra shouted. Balls of cotton surrounded and stuck themselves to Growlithe, rendering him unable to move. A giant bolt of electricity shot from above and electrocuted Growlithe.

"Growlithe!" Candace shouted. "Are you alright?" Growlithe managed to nod a little. The Cotton Spores prevented him from moving much more than that. "Ok then," she continued, "you don't need to move much to use Flamethrower, so try it again."

"Use Thunderpunch," Electra ordered. Ampharos jumped up to avoid the Flamethrower and came back down, hitting Growlithe in the head with a Thunderpunch. The Puppy Pokemon yelped and collapsed.

"Growlithe is unable to battle," the ref announced.

"Growlithe, you did great!" Candace said, "Return!" She put Growlithe away, looked down at Eevee and asked, "You ready?" Eevee nodded and ran out. "Okay, Eevee, dig underground and connect all the holes!"

"Vee!" she exclaimed and burrowed into the ground.

"What are you planning?" Electra asked. Candace smiled. "I can't attack because Ampharos might get hit with her own move like Raichu did," Electra thought to herself, "so I guess I'll just wait it out…"

They heard a muffled "Eeveh!" and Candace called her next move: "Use Shadow Ball!" Bunches of dark purple balls of energy shot up from the holes all around Ampharos. None of them hit it; they just went up towards the ceiling.

"What the…" Electra mumbled.

"Now use Double Team!" Candace ordered. A bunch of Eevee came jumping up from the holes, one for each Shadow Ball. They rose up above the Shadow Balls and smacked them with their tails. Ampharos was bombed with about twenty Shadow Balls. It tried to block itself with its arms but it was no use.

"Come back down and use Tackle!" Candace shouted. The fakes disappeared and Eevee straightened her body out to fall faster and then tackled the Ampharos with great force, bounced off and landed elegantly in front of it.

"This isn't a contest battle," Kyle muttered. "Why is she showing off?"

"It's her style…and it is working after all," Tori replied.

"Now use Quick Attack," Candace continued. Eevee charged at Ampharos.

"Iron Tail!" Electra ordered. Ampharos whirled around and smacked the incoming Eevee with its now glowing tail, sending Eevee flying back.

"VUIIIIII!" she cried and hit the dirt, stumbling and rolling back a little.

"Thunderbolt!" Electra added.

"AMPHHHH!" it cried as it released the most powerful Thunderbolt it could. Dust clouded the arena and when it cleared, Eevee was no where to be found. Candace smiled.

"Dig!" Candace yelled. Eevee came up from under Ampharos and hit it hard.

"WHAT?" Electra shouted. Ampharos fell over in defeat, but Eevee collapsed with exhaustion.

"Both Pokemon are unable to battle!" the ref announced. Electra returned her Pokemon and Candace scooped Eevee up.

"Thank you Eevee," Candace said. "You were amazing. Sorry to work you so hard though."

"Veee," she squeaked and licked Candace's chin.

"Pachirisu, come out!" both Electra and Candace said together as they sent a Pokeball out at the same exact time. Two Pachirisu appeared in the arena.

"Oh boy…" Kyle said. Tori covered her mouth and her eyes widened. "This won't end well," he continued.

"CHIIII!" Candace's Pachirisu cheered and began running circles around its new friend. The other Pachirisu stared at it blanking, and cocking its head as if to say, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Pachirisu, use Quick Attack!" Electra ordered. Her Pachirisu ran after Candace's Pachirisu, but Candace's Pachirisu was much faster and out ran it. Candace's Pachirisu stopped to let the other one get closer then sidestepped out of the way at the last second and Electra's Pachirisu crashed into the wall. Its head was now stuck and it tried to get itself out. Candace's Pachirisu danced around and then decided to limbo under the other Pachirisu's tail.

Candace smacked her forehead. "What are you doing?" she asked. "Stop that!" He stopped and looked at her, cocking his head. Electra's Pachirisu finally got itself free and then glared at Candace's Pachirisu.

"Pachii!" Candace's Pachirisu cheered and zipped out of reach.

"You have the fastest Pachirisu I've ever seen…" Electra said.

"Thank you," Candace said.

"Use Discharge!" Electra ordered. Her Pachirisu shot tons of light blue beams of electricity from all around its body. They hit Candace's Pachirisu but didn't hurt it too bad.

"Use Super Fang!" Candace shouted. Her Pachirisu charged at Electra's Pachirisu. It's front teeth began to glow white and extend.

"Use Swift!" Electra ordered and her Pachirisu spun around in circles. Its tail began to glow and a ton of yellow stars shot from it, nailing Candace's Pachirisu and stopping it in its tracks.

"Use Quick Attack!" they said at the same time. Both Pachirisu ran at each other and collided, creating a puff of dust. It began to clear and they saw a figure of a Pachirisu standing and a figure of a Pachirisu lying motionless on the ground, but which was which? Suspense was high as the dust continued to clear. If Candace's Pachirisu was still standing, she'd win the battle and a badge. If not, she'd have to come back tomorrow.

~_~_~  
Author Notes:

Cliffhanger! Read and review please.


	9. CH 9 All Hell Breaks Loose Part Two

Chapter 9: All Hell Breaks Loose (Part Two)

As the dust settled, the Pachirisu that was still standing started to dance around.

"Well, I guess we know who won then," Kyle muttered. Candace smiled.

"Aw man," Electra said, putting her hands on her hips. "Oh well, you all did amazing. Okay Candace and Kyle, come get your Volt Badges!" The two siblings walked over to her and were given their badges. Meanwhile, Candace's Pachirisu was helping Electra's Pachirisu up.

"Pachii Pachii?" one said.

"Pah Pachi Pah!" said the other.

"PACHIISUUU!" they cheered together and bolted out of the gym.

"Oh no," Candace said. Electra stared blankly. They all ran outside and the Pachirisu were standing out there waiting for them. Both Pachirisu ran off in different directions.

"Great," Kyle said sarcastically. "Now how are we supposed to catch them?"

"We can play with them later," Candace said. "Let's drop off our Pokemon at the Pokemon Center first. Then we'll get em."

Everyone agreed and ran to the Pokemon Center. Electra, Candace, and Kyle dropped off all their Pokemon. Tori kept hers and Kyle kept Mime Jr. since they weren't hurt.

When they got back outside, people were fleeing in terror and a few appeared to have been electrocuted. Candace smacked her forehead. Her Pachirisu came running around the corner and tried to jump passed them, but Candace caught him by the tail and he squirmed.

"What do you think you're doing? Where's Electra's Pachirisu?" she asked.

"CHIIIII!" he screamed as he used Discharge on her. She let go and he hit the ground and bolted.

The three trainers, Mime Jr., and the gym leader chased after the Pachirisu for about fifteen minutes. They eventually began to approach a boy standing by a tree looking at a map. Pachirisu recognized him and sped up. The boy heard Pachirisu and looked up.

"Hm? That's boy who beat me yesterday," Electra said. The boy noticed the Pachirisu coming at him.

"Oh no, not again," he moaned. It was the same boy that they kept seeing. He turned to run the other way and saw Electra's Pachirisu coming from that direction. Both Pachirisu sprang up and jumped on him, knocking him down. The Pachirisu bounced off and started dancing around together. The boy sat up and brushed dirt off his jacket, before standing and walking over to them. "That's it. You can't keep that Pachirisu under control, and obviously, you can't either, Electra," he said as he took a deep breath before continuing. "Since I've already battled and beaten Electra without breaking a sweat, I challenge you," he said, turning to Candace.

"That's not fair!" Electra said. "She won't stand a chance against you, Daniel."

"Besides, all but one of my Pokemon are at the Pokemon Center…HEY!" Candace shouted as she realized what Electra had said. "I resent that!"

"It happens to be true," Electra said, not looking at Candace. "He was the one who did most of the damage to my Gym. He would wipe the floor with you. Or at least, his Pokemon would with yours."

"Although it's not going to happen right now, since your Pokemon are all tired out from the battle with Electra," Daniel said. "However, I'm a patient man. I can wait until your Pokemon are healed before I put them back in the hospital."

"We'll just see who ends up in the hospital," Candace growled, before grabbing Pachirisu by the tail and dragging him away with Kyle and Tori in tow. As he hung upside down from Candace's hand, the Pokemon waved at Daniel and the other Pachirisu. Electra's Pachirisu waved back, before hopping up onto Electra's shoulder.

Whilst hanging there, Pachirisu also noticed Daniel staring after Candace. Electra said something to him, and the boy snapped out of it and spoke to her. For the first time since the hyperactive Pokemon had seen her, Electra gave a real smile. The EleSquirrel Pokemon quickly forgot this event as his energetic mind came up with an idea and he zapped his trainer once again, just for fun.

The group went back to the Pokemon Center, where their Pokemon had almost recovered. Candace grabbed Growlithe, Pachirisu, and Eevee, and headed just outside of town, where she found a clearing and spread her Pokemon out. She wanted to give them a pep talk.

"Alright you guys, we're going to battle a really strong trainer tomorrow. Will you all be ready?" she asked. Growlithe nodded faithfully. Pachirisu started to chase his tail and Eevee shrugged. "Come on you guys!" she continued, "You all are about as enthusiastic as a graveyard! Can't you get a little more pumped than that?" She raised a fist in the air. They cheered a little. "I can't hear you!" she shouted. They cheered louder.

"You are SO unnecessary!" Kyle shouted. She looked up and Tori and Kyle were standing there. Tori was smiling and blushing. Kyle was trying not to laugh.

"Just getting a little pumped," Candace growled.

"Are you nervous?" Tori asked.

"Me? Nervous? Hell no!" Candace replied, blushing.

"Right," Kyle said. "Anyway, we should go back to the Pokemon Center...your Pokemon are still tired."

"I know," Candace said. "But before we do, I want each one to show me what they can do. Growlithe, show me that Flamethrower of yours."

"GROW-OWWLITHE!" Growlithe shot a thick stream of fire out of his mouth for a full ten seconds.

"Good boy!" Candace said, scratching him behind the ears. "Alright, Pachirisu! Can you use Swift?" The Pokemon sat still for a moment, before nodding.

"CHI-WAA!" It swung its tail around, flinging several star-shaped disks flying from its tail into the trees.

"Nicely done, Pachirisu!" she encouraged. She turned to Eevee, "Okay, Eevee. I'm going to demand the most of you. I want you to dig underground, use Double Team, and then use Shadow Ball, okay?"

"VEE!" Eevee dug quickly, and they heard an odd sounding "EEVEE!" from underground, as if it was said by multiple Pokemon close together. Then, several holes popped open in the ground, and several Shadow Balls flew through them, disappearing into the sky.

"Way to go, Eevee!" Candace cheered, hugging her Pokemon. Or at least she tried to. As soon as she did, the Eevee vanished, to be replaced by another one, and then another. Candace went through six Eevees before getting to the real one and said, "Well, now that that's taken care of, let's go back."

They headed back to the Rioja Pokemon Center and Nurse Joy invited them to stay the night while their Pokemon were resting. Candace went straight to their room and was quiet for the rest of the night. She had some deep thinking to do. Tori played with her two Pokemon and Kyle played with Mime Jr. They all went to bed early that night. They woke up the next morning and got ready to go.

"You guys ready?" Candace asked.

"What about breakfast?" Kyle whined.

"After my battle!" Candace replied.

"HMPH!" Kyle said and they walked outside. Candace's opponent was there, waiting for her.

"Alright," Candace began, "I'm not going to battle you until you introduce yourself. Tell me your name..."

He stared at her for a moment. "...Daniel," he replied.

"Okay, Daniel," Candace said, "I'm Candace. This is my brother Kyle and our friend Tori." She pointed at them.

"Nice to meet you two," he said, looking at Kyle and Tori. "Sorry I'm about to put your friend's Pokemon back into the hospital." Candace scowled.

"Okay, Eevee, are you ready?" she asked, looking down at Eevee.

"EE!" Eevee cheered as she nodded and ran out in front of Candace.

"Skarmory, let's go!" Daniel shouted as he threw out a steel-plated Pokeball. A powerful looking Skarmory popped out and let out a battle cry.

"Eevee, use Shadow Ball!" Candace ordered. Eevee fired a Shadow Ball but Skarmory lifted a wing to cover itself. It then whacked at the Shadow Ball, which reflected off the wing and flew off somewhere. They heard an explosion in the distance and someone shout "OW!" but they ignored it.

"Use Swift!" Daniel shouted. Skarmory opened its beak and tons of golden star-shaped discs shot out and hit Eevee. Eevee flew back with them and fell down but managed to get back up.

"Don't let it hit you again, Eevee. Use Double Team!" Candace yelled. Eevee multiplied into a row of Eevee.

"Fury Attack," Daniel said. Skarmory charged for one of the Eevee and pecked it rapidly with its beak. Because the Eevee didn't vanish, it was obvious that Skarmory picked the real one.

"That Skarmory has really good eyes..." Tori observed. "He kept them on the real Eevee the whole time and knew exactly which one to hit.

"Dig underground!" Candace yelled. Eevee escaped from Skarmory's attack and dug into the ground, out of reach.

"What's that gonna do?" Kyle asked. "Candace, Skarmory's a Flying-type. Ground moves like Dig aren't going to do anything." Candace smiled.

"Eevee! Make lots of tunnels!" Candace ordered. Eevee popped out of the ground randomly and dug into a different spot. It did this several times so there where several holes in the ground.

"NOW use Double Team!" Candace added. A bunch of Eevee came out from the holes.

"How smart!" Kyle cheered. "Now Skarmory has no idea which are the fakes!"

"Use Agility and go into a Peck!" Daniel yelled. Skarmory sped through all the fake Eevee and they vanished upon contact. There was only one left. Skarmory's beak began to glow and it sped up for extra power. It nailed the final Eevee and she flew back and collapsed in defeat.

"Eevee no!" Candace cried and ran to Eevee's side. She picked up her fallen Pokemon and hugged her. Eevee opened her eyes and let out a weak cry. "It's ok," Candace said as she nuzzled Eevee, "you were great!" She handed Eevee to Tori and took a Pokeball out.

"Pachirisu, you're up!" she yelled as she sent out her Pachirisu.

"Chi!" Pachirisu cheered when he came out. He saw Daniel, got excited, and immediately charged at the boy, jumping on his head.

Daniel pried the hyperactive Electric-type off his face and held him out for a moment, before booting him back into the ring and shouting, "Skarmory! Use Peck!"

"Dodge it, Pachirisu!" Candace shouted. The Electric-type scooted to the right as Skarmory dove, allowing the flying-type to zip past him and hit the ground. Skarmory tried to get back up, but its beak was stuck in the ground. "Pachirisu, use Discharge!" Candace continued. Pachirisu jumped onto Skarmory's back.

"!" He shouted as he sent out blasts of electricity. However, instead of going in all directions as they usually did, they went directly into Skarmory, frying the Pokemon. It collapsed, and Daniel called it back to its ball.

"I'm sorry, buddy. You did the best you could, and that's all I can ask of you," he said as he put Skarmory's odd ball away, and pulled a Pokeball from his belt that had strange-looking indentations in it. As he threw it, Candace realized what the markings were – teeth marks. The ball opened, and Totodile popped out.

"A Totodile?" Kyle asked, confused. "What's the point of using a Water-type against an Electric-type that's as zap-happy as Pachirisu is?"

"He's got a plan of some sort," Tori said. "From what I can tell, he isn't reckless or stupid. He knew exactly how to get around Eevee's Double Team and Skarmory even blocked that Shadow Ball. I think he either doesn't care about the type difference, or has a strategy to get around it."

Kyle shrugged, before turning back to the battle, just in time to see Pachirisu toddling across the field and speaking to Totodile.

"PACHI! CHI-WAA! PACHI-WAH-CHI!" Pachirisu said.

"DILE! TOTA-TOTA-TOTADILE!" Totodile replied. The two laughed as Candace cocked her head, mildly confused.

"If you two are finished chatting, could we get on with our battle?" she asked. The Pokemon looked at her for a moment, before shaking paw-and-claw and heading back to their places. "Aaaanyway…Pachirisu," she continued, "use Quick Attack!" The Electric-type charged forward, ramming into Totodile's head, before bouncing off and skidding away on its tail. Totodile looked confused.

"Wow. Totodile's skull must be so thick that it didn't really feel it," Kyle said.

"Totodile, use Ice Fang!" Daniel said. Totodile's fangs glowed bright blue and released twin bolts of energy at Pachirisu.

"Dodge it!" Candace shouted. Pachirisu slid out of the path of one of the bolts but only succeeded in getting hit by the other one. Pachirisu's leg was encrusted with ice, slowing it down. "Pachirisu, use Super Fang on the ice!" Candace suggested. Pachirisu chomped at the ice with all its might, but it remained stuck fast.

"Perfect," Daniel said. "Totodile, use Bite!" Instead of biting Pachirisu, the Big Jaw Pokemon fired a jet of water at Pachirisu, soaking the Pokemon. "Or use Water Gun, I guess that works too. Well, let's see how this works. Totodile, use Water Gun!" he continued. Totodile leaped at Pachirisu, jaws open. Daniel responded with, "Ah. So it's not a disobedience problem, it's a hearing problem. Gotcha."

"Pachirisu, use Discharge, quick!" Candace shouted.

"PACHIIII!" he shouted, sending out tendrils of electricity, just as Totodile connected and bit down. There was a horrible buzzing sound, and for a moment, Candace could see Totodile's skeleton as the electricity coursed through him. Totodile collapsed to the ground, smoking slightly.

"Sorry about that, Totodile," Daniel said as he returned the Water-type to his Pokeball. "Didn't mean to get you fried." He paused for a moment.

"Well?" Candace said, happy that she had taken out two of Daniel's Pokemon with Pachirisu. "Do you not have a third Pokemon?"

Daniel laughed and said, "Oh, believe me, I have a third Pokemon. Do you think I caused all that damage to Electra's gym with just those two?" He enlarged a third Pokeball – again, not a standard-looking ball. This one was pitch-black. "Let's finish this, old friend," Daniel said quietly, before sending out a Pokemon.

"Gaaaaaaaaah-BITE!" the Pokemon cried, stretching to its full height.

"What on earth is that?" Kyle asked, flipping open his Pokedex.

"Gabite, the Cave Pokemon: Gabite goes wild for precious jewels, first digging them up and then stashing them in its nest," the Pokedex said.

"Figures that a trainer this strong would have a Dragon-type as a partner," Candace said. "Well, we can take him. Pachirisu, use Discharge!"

"CHII-WAAH!" Pachirisu shouted, pointing its tail at Gabite and sending off a bolt of electricity. Daniel remained motionless, and Gabite did as well, taking the hit without moving.

"What the…" Candace said. "How did that happen?"

"I think I can answer that," Daniel said. "Gabite's not just a Dragon-type. He's part Ground-type as well."

"Oh, perfect," Kyle muttered. "Now Pachirisu's really in trouble."

"Dragon Rage," Daniel said, no tension evident in his voice. Gabite released a ball of fire from its mouth that struck Pachirisu, shattering the ice that had held it down and sending it skidding across the ring.

"Pachirisu, are you alright?" Candace shouted. The hyperactive Pokemon stood up and shook itself, knocking dust out of one pointed ear. Then, in the middle of the ring, it sat down and began grooming its tail. "Pachirisu, move! Don't just clean yourself! Use Swift!" Candace ordered. Having finished cleaning his tail, Pachirisu whipped it around and sent several star-shaped disks shooting at Gabite.

"Use Rock Smash," Daniel said, sounding almost bored. Gabite's claws glowed white and it slashed at the stars, destroying them. "Now use it again," he said. Gabite's claws glowed brighter and he struck Pachirisu, sending the Pokemon flying. Pachirisu landed hard on the ground, bouncing twice, and stayed down, unable to battle.

"Pachirisu!" Candace cried, returning him to his Pokeball. "I hope you're going to be alright…" Taking a deep breath, she brought up Growlithe's Pokeball, "Growlithe, let's go!"

"GROOOW-OW!" the Pokemon cried as it was sent out, as if to say, "Bring it on! I'll widdle in his boots!"

"Use Flamethrower, Growlithe!" Candace ordered.

"Use Dragon Breath!" Daniel said. He had raised his voice, but he was still calm.

"He's acting like the battle is already over…" Tori said quietly.

"I think that he thinks it pretty much is already," Kyle answered, just as softly.

"LITHE!" Growlithe sent out a thick stream of fire that headed directly for Gabite.

"BITE!" Gabite shouted, before releasing a greenish-blue stream of air from its mouth that collided with the Flamethrower and forced it back, causing both attacks to collide with Growlithe. The Fire-type skidded backwards and collapsed from the intensity of the double attack.

"Growlithe!" Candace screamed. "Are you ok?" Growlithe managed to stand back up and gritted his teeth. Candace took a breath and paused a moment. She then smiled and put one hand in the air. "Alright," she said, "I give up, you win."

"WHAT!" Kyle blurted. "Give up? Why? Growlithe can continue!"

"Kyle, as a trainer, it's our job to judge a situation and do whatever it takes to keep our Pokemon safe. We can't let them get hurt if we can prevent it. All that would happen if we kept going is Growlithe getting hurt...so I'm done. I'm not going to let that happen," Candace explained.

Tori smiled. Kyle looked to the ground in silence and then said, "You're right..."

Daniel nodded, a small smile on his face, "Very smart."

"What do you mean by that?" Candace snarled at him.

"If you know you're not going to win, do your best, but if you're just getting hurt, don't stick around and let yourself get blasted. Like you said, part of being a trainer is judging the situation, but it's also about knowing your limits. You did good, but I doubt your Growlithe can continue much longer. He needs to be checked out after that hit," Daniel said.

Candace looked at Growlithe and then picked him up. He licked her face and nuzzled her chin. She looked at Daniel and smiled, "Well it was a great battle, thank you! I'm going to get stronger though and it'll be different if there's a next time!"

"Oh, there will be a next time, I promise you," Daniel said.

"Oh, really?" Candace asked.

"Yeah. Seeing how badly you just got your butt kicked, I think you need a trainer with some experience traveling with you," Daniel said.

"Thanks, but no thanks," Candace said, annoyed. "We can find a trainer who can beat us without a huge amount of trouble."

"Well, I'm not just a good trainer," Daniel said, returning Gabite to his Pokeball, "I also happen to know this region pretty well. I know people in quite a few of the towns around here, and I know a lot about each Gym Leader and their fighting styles." Pachirisu popped out of his Pokeball, apparently having regained consciousness.

"PACHI!" He shouted, springing off the ground and flying over Daniel's shoulder. Daniel spun, grabbing Pachirisu by the tail and whip-cracking him back towards Candace.

"Plus," he continued, buffing his nails on his jacket, "I seem to be the only one who's capable of catching that Pachirisu, if for no other reason than that he likes me."

"Mmm..." Candace said, catching her little trouble-maker, "...what do you guys think?"

"..." Tori blushed and looked down. "I...don't care."

"Fine with me..." Kyle said.

"Okay," Candace said with a sigh. She looked back at Daniel, smiling, "You can join us...but...I think I need to let my Pokemon rest for an hour before we hit the road."

"Oh, no need for that," Daniel said.

"No need? You just beat the stuffing out of my Pokemon! They need a rest!" Candace said, her voice rising.

Daniel smiled again, "Easy, Candace." He reached into his pack and came up with a handful of large, yellow-orange Berries and said, "These are Sitrus Berries. One or two of these and your Pokemon will be back up and running me over in no time at all." He tossed a few to Candace. "Here. You give some to Eevee and Growlithe, and let me see Sparky over there," he said. Candace set Pachirisu down, and Daniel held out a few Berries in the palm of his hand. Pachirisu toddled over and sniffed a Berry, before popping it in his mouth and eating it, a broad smile on his face.

Mime Jr. poked his head out of Kyle's hood and sniffed the air, before jumping out and diving headfirst into Daniel's backpack with a gleeful shout. "What's he doing?" Daniel asked.

"You don't by any chance have any Cheri Berries in there, do you?" Kyle asked. Daniel nodded. "Well, I hope you weren't planning on using them for anything. Mime Jr. has a soft spot for them." Within a few minutes, the Pokemon were healthy again and ready to go. Well, except for Mime Jr., who was suffering from a distended stomach.

"Hey I left my badge case inside the Pokemon Center," Kyle said and went inside to get it. The others waited for him. He came out with a flyer and handed it to Tori. It was for the Neon City Contest and it stated that the contest would take place in five days.

"Oh," Tori said, "so we have lots of time to get there. I thought it was in two days. What a relief."

The trainers headed north, on their way to Neon City. It would be a two day walk to get there. The girls would arrive in time for their contest and have enough time to practice and prepare for it.

"I think we should hold off on the gym battle when we get there," Candace said.

"Why?" Kyle asked.

"Because Tori and I are going to have to go shopping for the contest and practice for it and stuff," she replied.

"Contest?" Daniel said, cocking his head.

"You don't know what they are?" Candace asked.

"I know what they are...just didn't know you were planning to compete. Well, nobody's perfect, I guess," he said with a shrug.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Candace asked with a glare.

"Contests are one of the most ridiculous ideas that people have yet thought of. Battling is what Pokemon moves are best used for, not making the Pokemon look pretty," he said. Tori and Candace glared. Candace was about to pounce but Kyle and Tori grabbed her. Tori looked up ahead and frowned.

"Do...you hear buzzing?" she asked. Candace calmed down and looked in the direction that Tori was looking. Kyle and Daniel looked too. They pretty soon heard something shouting and it became louder and louder as did the buzzing. After a while, a Teddiursa came running down the road with a swarm of Combee chasing it. The trainers gasped. As the Teddiursa approached, they noticed it was covered in a thick, golden, gooey liquid.

"That Teddiursa must have gotten into those Combee's honey..." Candace suggested. "Those Combee look pretty mad." The Combee's eyes were glowing red and they were scowling. The Teddiursa saw the trainers and sped up.

"Incoming," Daniel said. The Teddiursa jumped onto Kyle's shoulder in desperation. The Combee began to close in.

"Run!" Kyle shouted. The trainers ran to the right, into the bushes and trees. Teddiursa remained paralyzed in fear on Kyle's shoulder, covering its face with its paws. Candace started to get tired because she hated running.

"Alright," she said, stopping and turning around to face the Combee, "I have had it! Pachirisu, take care of them!" She hurled Pachirisu's ball and he popped out.

"PACHII!" he cheered. The others had stopped too.

"Pikachu, you help too!" Kyle shouted as he sent out Pikachu.

"Flaaffy, it's showtime!" Tori said as she sent out Flaaffy.

"Totodile, let's go!" Daniel yelled as he sent out Totodile. He popped out but was facing the wrong way. He saw Daniel and cocked his head, appearing to be confused. Daniel shook his head, "Totodile?"

"Tota?" The Water-type said.

"Turn around," Daniel said, making a slow circle with his finger. The Water-type turned slowly and took a step back when he saw the swarm of Combee, nearly tripping over Pikachu's tail.

"Use Discharge!" the girls said together as Kyle ordered Pikachu to use Thunderbolt. The three electric Pokemon fried most of the swarm of Combee.

"Totodile, use Water Gu-er I mean BITE!" Daniel ordered. Totodile blasted the remaining Combee with Water Gun. The Combee all fled, but came back seconds later, hiding behind a rather ticked-off Vespiquen. The trainers told their Pokemon to attack her all at once, but she dodged and began to form a large, yellow ball of energy.

"That's Power Gem!" Tori said and looked terrified.

"Eevee," Candace said looking down at Eevee who was in her normal place (tucked inside the front of Candace's hoodie, with her head popping out), "Use Shadow Ball!" Eevee didn't even bother getting out. She just formed a Shadow Ball and shot it right there from Candace's hoodie. Vespiquen clutched her Power Gem and used it to smack the Shadow Ball away. It hit a weak looking Combee and the poor thing hit the ground and didn't move. No one seemed to notice, however. The Vespiquen released her Power Gem and everyone braced themselves. Mime Jr. ran out in front and started waving his arms around. A blue shield appeared in front of them and the Power Gem failed to penetrate it.

"Mime Jr., what is that?" Kyle asked.

"Barrier," Daniel said, "and a strong one at that. Stopped the Power Gem cold..."

"That's great! Now take it down and use Mimic!" Kyle shouted. The Barrier went away and Mime Jr. raised its hands to form a Power Gem. It then released the ball of energy and it sent the queen flying. Her swarm of Combee followed after her. They wouldn't be coming back. Everyone let out a sigh of relief.

"TEDDD-EE! TEDDD-EE!" the Teddiursa cheered. They all looked at it. It was nuzzling Kyle's face.

"Aww! He's thankful for saving him," Candace observed. Kyle grabbed the Teddiursa off of his shoulder and cradled it. The Teddiursa's eyes shined as he looked up at Kyle. Candace pointed her Pokedex at it.

"Teddiursa, the Little Bear Pokemon: It lets honey soak into its paws so it can lick them all the time. Every set of paws tastes unique," the Dex stated. Candace smiled and put the Pokedex away.

"K-Kyle..." Tori said, blushing.

"What is it, Tori?" Kyle asked.

"Uhm...I think that Teddiursa...wants to stay with you," she said. He looked down at Teddiursa who was nodding and smiling.

"Okay then that settles it," Kyle said holding out an empty Pokeball. "Teddiursa, come with me!" Teddiursa extended a paw and pressed the center of the ball. It then disappeared into it. The light in the middle flashed a couple times and stopped. Kyle held it up into the air and cheered. His two Pokemon ran to his side and celebrated with him.

"Teddiursa, come on out!" he shouted and sent Teddiursa back out. He wanted to carry his new Pokemon for a while. They heard some buzzing and looked over. There was a Combee lying on the ground struggling to get up.

"Poor thing," Candace said, walking over and knelt beside it. It gave one last effort to get up but couldn't and just laid still. Candace took out a Pokeball and tapped the Combee. It was too weak to break out so she successfully caught it. She looked back at her friends.

"Daniel, do you have anymore medicine for this Combee?" she asked.

Daniel reached into his pack and came out with a handful of Oran Berries and said, "Start off with a few of these, but then work into the Sitrus Berries." Candace walked over and took the berries. She sent the Combee out and it collapsed. She picked it up and offered it the Oran Berries. The Combee ate one and smiled. It then ate the rest and flew out of Candace's arms.

"You're so cute," Candace said to her. The Combee did a couple twirls and then noticed Eevee. Her eyes began to glow red and she charged for Eevee.

"Eeveh?" Eevee gasped and retreated from Candace's hoodie. The Combee chased her, shooting at her with Swift. Yellow star-shaped discs and purple Shadow Balls flew everywhere. Everyone just sat and stared.

"Combee, return!" Candace said, finally, but Combee dodged the energy beam from the Pokeball. It was hell bent on revenge from getting hit by Eevee's Shadow Ball before. Candace looked at Pachirisu and nodded.

"CHIIIIIIIII!" Pachirisu yelled, using Discharge. The Combee fell down and Candace successfully got her back into the ball. She then called Pachirisu back to his ball too. Eevee ran back and jumped onto her shoulder. Candace sighed and started walking back to the road. The others called back their Pokemon (except for Mime Jr. of course) and followed her.

Candace stepped out onto the road and waited for the others. She looked sad.

"What's wrong?" Kyle asked.

"Combee..." Candace said, looking at her Pokeball.

"Are you going to release her?" Tori asked.

"No…" Candace said.

"But she doesn't get along with Eevee...so one of them has to go and I doubt it would be Eevee," Kyle said.

"Well when we get to Neon City, I'll send her to Maple. She has a huge piece of land outside her lab where she keeps trainer's Pokemon for them. Combee will like it there I think. She's a nice Pokemon but she doesn't like Eevee, and that's not going to work for me," Candace explained. "Maybe I'll work with her when she gets over her grudge…if she gets over her grudge…"

"Good idea," Tori said. They continued on their way until they got to a fork-in-the-road. There were two signs, one pointing to one road and one pointing to the other. One said "Hugel City" and the other said "Neon City." They turned down the road to the right and headed to Neon City. They walked all day and then pitched their tents and set up camp at sunset. Candace sat, Indian-style, for a while and stared at Combee's Pokeball, which she had set down in front of her, a couple feet away. After a while, she put it away and joined the others.

~_~_~  
Author Notes:

Read and review please.


	10. CH 10 Rivalry in the Forest

**Chapter 10: Rivalry in the Forest **

"Eevee!" Eevee cried, looking around. It was about two o'clock in the morning. Tori and Candace were fast asleep in one tent, and the two boys had their own tent each. Candace and Tori sat up, alarmed by Eevee's outburst.

"What's wrong, Eevee?" Candace asked, sleepily. Eevee had heard a noise and it woke her up. She looked around the tent, ears alert and nose in the air. They heard a twig snap outside the tent.

"Eevui? EEVEH!" Eevee cried.

"Huh?" both girls said together and then screamed very, VERY loudly. Kyle, Mime Jr., and Daniel woke up and ran out of their tents immediately. The girls were standing, hugging each other, and trembling. Eevee was on top of Candace's head, growling at the tent, which was flattened and ripped up on the ground.

"What…happened?" Kyle asked.

"SEVIPAH!" something hissed. A huge, snake-like Pokemon lunged out of the bushes and at the girls. They screamed again, and Growlithe popped out of his ball on his own in order to protect his trainer. He jumped on the Seviper, biting its neck. Candace got a hold of herself and gave Growlithe some fast commands. While she and Growlithe held the Seviper off, the others quickly packed everything up, including the destroyed tent. They then all fled together, eventually reaching another fork in the road. A faded sign pointed north, and "Lumber Route" was carved into it. "ROAD CLOSED" was painted over it in red paint, and the road was blocked off. The other sign pointed east and said "Neon City," so they of course ran down the road to Neon City. When they got far enough away, they hid.

"We must have…" Kyle said, panting, "trespassed into its territory…"

"Yeah," Tori agreed, "Um...Are we…s-safe now? I mean…can we pitch camp here?"

"We should be," Daniel said. "Those things don't usually follow people around." He shook his head in disgust and continued, "I can't believe I got caught off guard like that." They set up one tent and all crowded into it with their sleeping bags. They slept for several hours, but woke up again early due to the sounds of the apocalypse. They heard trees falling down, people screaming, people shouting in anger, explosions, Pokemon fleeing in terror, etc.

"What the heck is going on now?" Kyle muttered.

"Sounds like my last birthday," Daniel said. Everyone just stared at him for a minute. "What?" he asked, "None of you have ever had a wild party?"

"Uh…maybe we should go check it out?" Candace suggested.

"Yeah…" Tori agreed, "Someone should stay here and watch the tent I VOLUNTEER!"

"No, Tori, we're taking it all with us," Candace said. "Come on!" They packed up the tent and four sleeping bags, and then headed in the direction of the chaos. They arrived at a clearing bordered with fallen trees, stumps, and various piles of debris. They saw the Seviper that had attacked the girls' tent and it was facing off against a Zangoose. Random trainers, travelers, and people just passing by were begging the two wild Pokemon to stop, but it was no use.

"Shall we take them out?" Kyle asked, reaching for a Pokeball at his belt. Daniel reached for one too.

"WAIT!" Candace blurted. "I think attacking them might end up making things worse. Let's go try to calm them down…I think that'd be better."

"You're right," Daniel said, "but if it doesn't work, we're taking them down."

"I know I am," Candace said, grinning. "Alright Mime Jr. and Eevee go make peace!" The two hustled over to the quarreling Pokemon and attempted to negotiate. Eevee spoke to Zangoose while Mime Jr. spoke to Seviper.

"Ee ee! Vui vee vui!" Eevee began and Zangoose bopped her on the head. She cried out a little.

"Mime! Mima! Mima! Mime!" Mime Jr. began, and Seviper smacked the pest away with its tail. Mime Jr. went flying into Eevee and they both flew back into the forest somewhere. Candace and the others ran after them. Meanwhile, the Seviper and Zangoose continued their heated battle. Zangoose slashed at the Seviper with its sharp claws, but Seviper snaked out of the way and bit its arm. Zangoose cried out in pain and ran east. Seviper followed. Zangoose would occasionally pick something up and chuck it at Seviper, who would dodge it and lash out at Zangoose.

"Uh oh," Candace said, "they're going to destroy the forest…AFTER THEM!" The trainers, Eevee, and Mime Jr. chased after the two. The chase lasted about fifteen minutes and they all reached another clearing. Seviper and Zangoose stopped and attacked each other in the middle of it.

"Alright," Kyle said, approaching the Pokemon. "This has got to stop! Can't you two work things out without destroying the forest? Divide the territory, migrate somewhere else, ANYTHING!" The wild Pokemon ignored him and he growled quietly to himself.

"HEY!" Candace shouted. "We're talking to you…PACHIRISU! USE DISCHARGE!" She threw out her Pachirisu's ball, he came out, and he zapped them to get their attention. The two wild Pokemon turned their attention to the trainers and Zangoose instantly glared at Kyle with intense hatred.

"Oh, I know you…"Kyle said, "YOU ATTACKED ME!" The others cocked their heads, and Zangoose's claws began to glow.

"He's going to use Slash on us!" Tori cried.

"Alright, this making peace thing-not working," Daniel said. "Gabite, let's go!" Daniel sent out his Gabite. Candace sighed but didn't do anything to stop him, and Kyle sent out his Phanpy. As the Zangoose's claws came down to slash them, Gabite grabbed its arm and prevented the attack. The Zangoose snarled at Gabite and tried to jerk its arm away, but Gabite held tight and it was stuck fast.

"Phanpy, use Rollout!" Kyle ordered.

"Ah-pah!" Phanpy said as it balled up and rolled forward, slamming into Seviper. He rolled over Seviper and came back, but this time, Seviper smacked it away with its tail. Phanpy uncurled itself as it went flying and hit a tree.

"Phanpy!" Kyle cried. "Use Dig!" Phanpy dug underground quickly.

"Use Dragonbreath!" Daniel said. A blast of extremely hot, colorful breath emerged from Gabite's mouth. It hit Zangoose, causing the Pokemon to fly back with it and a small explosion. Zangoose stared back, angrily. Phanpy popped up from out of the ground and nailed Zangoose. Its claws started to glow again and it slashed at Phanpy, but again, it was caught in mid-slash by Gabite, who had rushed over and caught it at the last second. Seviper, who was getting tired of the annoyance, hissed angrily. Its tail began to glow purple and it lunged at Gabite, quickly flipping around and slicing him. Gabite closed one eye and fell to one knee.

"That was Poison Tail!" Tori said.

"Gabite!" Daniel yelled.

"Phanpy, take out Zangoose with Take Down!" Kyle shouted. Phanpy rammed into Zangoose and it went flying back. Seviper readied itself for another Poison Tail. Gabite appeared to be in pain. Daniel rushed to his Pokemon's side and examined the wound, talking quietly and soothingly to it.

"He's poisoned…" Candace said. Seviper lashed its tail at Gabite again, but its tail was stopped. A Treecko had darted over and lunged up, and was now holding off Seviper's tail with its own tail, using Pound. The Treecko did a back flip and landed between the trainers and the Seviper.

"Now use Bullet Seed!" the Treecko's trainer ordered. Treecko spat tons of small, glowing seeds at Seviper, pushing it back a little. The other trainers looked over to where the command came from.

"Hey, it's Angel…" Kyle said. Angel was standing there, beside a Dodrio. Daniel stepped over and began examining the Pokemon's three heads after giving Gabite a pair of Berries from his jacket pocket that seemed to bring the Pokemon back and give it some strength.

"Yeah, and it's kind of sad that all four of you couldn't manage to take care of this…Treecko, use Pound again!" Angel said. Treecko darted forward and turned around, smacking Seviper in the face with its tail.

"SEVIPAH!" it hissed and attempted bite Treecko with its poisonous fangs.

"Now use Quick Attack!" Angel continued. Treecko swiftly dodged Seviper's fangs and zipped off. It came charging back, hit Seviper, came back from a different direction, hit it again, and continued this for a while. Seviper couldn't do a thing to stop it. "Pound, once more," Angel added. Treecko hit Seviper in the face again with its tail and the Seviper collapsed.

"We could have handled it on our own," Kyle said.

"Right. Pokeball, go!" Angel shouted as he threw an empty Pokeball at the fallen Seviper. It rocked a few times and stopped. He walked over, picked it up and said, "There. Problem solved. No more Zangoose versus Seviper and destruction of the forest. See ya." He mounted the Dodrio.

"Stop acting like you're so strong," Kyle said angrily, "because we're much stronger than you! I already have TWO GYM BADGES! And so does my sister and our friend Daniel, here." Angel rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, whatever…and for the record…I have three gym badges already," Angel said coldly. The others looked at him, a bit shocked, except for Daniel. Angel continued, "And I'd have four, but the road from Hugel City to Cava Town is blocked. I decided to rent a Dodrio and come on down to Neon City for that gym badge. So like I said…See ya around…If, that is, you can keep up with me. YAH!" He kicked Dodrio's side and they were off. Kyle stood glaring until they were out of sight.

"What a…" The boy trailed off, growling.

"Prick? Ding-dong? Peckerhead? Jerk?" Daniel supplied, Kyle nodded, and Daniel continued, "True. But he's also the peckerhead who's a gym badge up on us. So I suggest we get moving."

"But how are we supposed to catch up?" Kyle asked.

"Well, we've got two things that he doesn't," Daniel replied.

"And what's that?" Kyle asked.

"One, knowledge of the Neon Gym. Chrys, the Gym Leader, is a Bug-type trainer, and damn good at it, too. She's the kind of battler who will confuse, poison, paralyze, or put your Pokemon to sleep and then wail on them while they can't fight back. She takes a lot of pride in having never taken more than fifteen minutes for a battle," Daniel informed.

"Alright, so we'll plan for that," Candace said. "What was the other thing?"

Daniel grinned evilly and said, "A mode of transportation that works."

"What do you mean?" Kyle asked.

"Well, while everyone else was focused on the Treecko-Seviper battle, I was slipping the Dodrio some of this stuff," he said, taking a small tin out of his jacket and opening it. "Whiff, but don't touch. I don't want to have to carry you to Neon City," he said. Candace held the tin under her nose and inhaled tentatively. Immediately, her eyelids drooped, and she shoved the tin away.

"What is that stuff?" She asked, slapping herself gently on the cheeks.

"Herbal medicine of my own recipe. I've used it when a Pokemon has trouble getting to sleep. I slipped the Dodrio enough to put him out cold for the next…eight or so hours," Daniel said, grinning widely. "Ain't I a stinker?"

"Under other circumstances, I might be upset," Candace said, "but since Angel is such a pain, I'm finding it difficult to feel sorry for him. I do feel sorry for the Dodrio, though."

"Yeah, me too," Daniel said. "If Gabite was at a hundred percent, I would have challenged him to battle right there. " He took out a handful of Berries from his pack and stowed them in his jacket, before looking at the inside of Gabite's mouth and the edges of its eyes. "Since he's poisoned, I'll give him one of these Berries every hour. There are no signs of him being really badly poisoned, and he should be alright by the time we get to Neon City, but either way, I'm going to get him checked up at the Pokemon Center," Daniel planned.

"Good idea," Candace said. "Well, let's get moving." Gabite, Pachirisu, and Phanpy were all returned to their balls and the four trainers left together. Eevee decided to ride on Candace's head, so Mime Jr. hopped onto Kyle's head too. They headed east and walked until noon, and then stopped for lunch.

"Surprised we haven't run into Angel and that Dodrio again…you sure that stuff works?" Candace teased.

"Give it time," Daniel replied. They sent out all of their Pokemon, except Combee, for lunch. After they were done eating, Daniel fed Gabite another Pecha Berry, as well as an Oran Berry to help keep its strength up. Tori held Silcoon in her lap and rubbed her with a cloth. Eevee, Growlithe, Totodile, Pikachu and Flaaffy ran around with each other, while Mime Jr. tried to teach Teddiursa how to fight. Mainly, it consisted of the two shadowboxing with each other playfully. Pachirisu had disappeared someplace but no one seemed to care. Candace tossed Combee's ball up into the air and caught it a few times, thinking.

"Alright, let's give this another go," she said. "Combee come on out!"

"Comb…" Combee said, looking around. Candace placed a bowl of food in front of Combee, so Combee cheered and dug in.

"Oh good, maybe I can keep you with me after all! As long as you can behave like this," Candace said, smiling. Just then, Eevee let out a sound of joy and Combee heard her.

"BEE!" Combee screeched and zipped over to Eevee. She used Swift but Eevee jumped out of the way. They yelled at each other for a minute, Eevee reared back for a Shadow Ball, and Combee got ready to use Swift again.

"STOP IT YOU TWO!" Candace demanded. Both Pokemon fired and were hit by each other's moves. They got ready to attack again.

"Silcoon, use String Shot," Tori said gently.

"Coon!" it said and shot a string of sticky silk at Combee and Eevee. They were immobilized and struggled to free themselves.

"Thank you, Tori," Candace said. Tori smiled. "Combee," Candace continued, "return!" and she called it back to its ball. Candace let out a sigh and went to help Eevee out. A trainer jumped out of the bushes all of a sudden and looked around.

"Uhm…Can we help you?" Candace asked.

"Yes," he said, "I want to challenge her to a battle!" He pointed at Tori, and she blushed.

"M-me?" she asked.

"Yes, you! Your Silcoon against my Cascoon!" he yelled.

"But…we're…resting," she said.

"Don't worry! It'll be worth your while," he said, "because that Silcoon is close to evolving!"

"But she just recently evolved from a Wurmple…" Tori said, "How can that be?"

"Bug Pokemon evolve very fast," the boy said, "and I know my bug Pokemon. THAT Silcoon is going to evolve soon."

"I know Bug Pokemon evolve fast," Tori said, "but still, I've only worked with her for a little."

"Well, you worked with her for about a day and a half, remember?" Candace said, "It was right before my gym battle…I think he might be right."

"Well alright, I guess," Tori said, standing up.

"YAHOO!" the bug catcher cheered. They walked over to a wide area to battle.

"Cascoon! I choose you!" the bug trainer shouted as he threw a Pokeball. A Cascoon came out. Tori set Silcoon down.

"Use Tackle, Silcoon!" Tori said. Silcoon bounced up and flew at Cascoon.

"Dodge and use Poison Sting!" the bug catcher yelled. Cascoon jumped out of Silcoon's path and shot poisonous needles at Silcoon, and they hit but she wasn't poisoned.

"Use String Shot!" Tori ordered. Silcoon shot out a line of silk. Cascoon dodged it for the most part but got stuck to a small amount of it. "Now use Tackle!" Tori continued. Silcoon tackled Cascoon, breaking it free from the sticky silk.

"Pretty good," the boy said. "Use Poison Sting again!"

"You too!" Tori yelled. Cascoon and Silcoon fired poisonous needles at each other. The needles collided and exploded.

"Now use Tackle!" they said together. Both of the Pokemon jumped up and collided with each other. They both started glowing and their trainers gasped. The Pokemon changed shaped and stopped glowing at the same time. Tori now had a Beautifly and the bug catcher now had a Dustox.

"ALRIGHT!" the bug catcher cheered. "I knew they'd both evolve from this battle! Dustox, use Gust!"

"You use Gust too, Beautifly!" Tori cheered. The Pokemon flapped their wings and whipped up a Gust. The moves collided and canceled each other out.

"Silver Wind!" they said together. Both Pokemon flapped their wings again, releasing a grey, sparkly powder. The moves were evenly matched again and were canceled out.

"GR…use Tackle!" the boy ordered.

"Dodge and use String Shot!" Tori yelled. Dustox charged for Beautifly, who turned on her side and dodged out of the way. She then shot a line of silk at it and it fell to the ground, unable to move.

"Dustox!" the boy shouted.

"Tackle it!" Tori said. Beautifly tackled Dustox and knocked it out.

"Aww man…" the boy said. Beautifly landed on Tori's head and she looked happily at her fully evolved Pokemon. They were about done resting and told the boy that they were on their way to Neon City. He told them that he was one of the Neon City Gym Leader's assistants and had come out to find some new bug Pokemon and train his Cascoon, but was on his way back now. They all decided to walk to Neon City together.

"Here you go, Dustox," the boy said as he fed an Oran Berry to it. Dustox flew up into the air happily and cheered. The others were packing up their supplies and called back all their Pokemon except Beautifly (and Eevee and Mime Jr. of course). As they walked, Beautifly and Dustox chased each other up above them. The boy introduced himself. He said everyone called him Roach. Suddenly, Candace gasped.

"What's wrong?" Kyle asked.

"Pachirisu never came back!" she cried. They all looked around. Then they heard Pachirisu screaming and looked ahead. He was running down the road at them and looked really happy. "There you are! I was worried, where have you been?" she scolded.

"Chi-pah, chi-pah!" he said excitedly and then motioned for them to follow. They ran up the road a ways to find Angel leaning against a tree, kicking at the dirt. The rented Dodrio was standing next to him, but its three heads were collapsed onto the ground, out cold.

"CHIIIII!" Pachirisu cheered and jumped onto one of the heads.

"Great…you again," Angel said glaring at Pachirisu, who was bouncing from head to head. Candace laughed awkwardly.

"I'm sorry, he's…" she trailed off.

"Annoying?" Angel finished for her, "Yes, very…Hey, cut that out!" Pachirisu was now standing in front of the head in the middle, tugging on its beak. Pachirisu looked up defiantly at Angel, and continued to misbehave. Angel grabbed him by the tail and pulled him up, about ready to throw him.

"Pachii?" it said and a few tears fell down his face. He then looked angry and used Discharge, shocking both Angel and the Dodrio.

"AHHHHHHHH!" Angel cried in pain and dropped Pachirisu. Dodrio woke up from the shock and screamed in pain too. Pachirisu scampered over to the others and jumped onto Candace's shoulder. Eevee, who was riding in Candace's hoodie, laughed a little. Angel looked at the Dodrio.

"Well…thanks I guess," he said, about ready to mount it again.

"WAIT!" Kyle shouted. Angel stopped and looked at him. "I want to battle you!" Kyle continued.

"…Fine," Angel replied. Kyle smiled. "Pinsir, let's go!" Angel shouted as he sent out a Pinsir. It stomped the ground. Kyle sent out Teddiursa but had it stand next to him.

"PINSIR PINSIR GO GO GO PINSIR PINSIR WE WANT A SHOW!" Roach cheered loudly. Every person and Pokemon in the area, including a wild Wurmple sitting in a tree, stared at him, heads cocked. He continued chanting until Pachirisu put him out of his misery with Discharge. Candace turned to Roach, who was now on the ground.

"Uh…why are you rooting for that prick?" she asked. "We're just wondering…"

"Oh I always root for the Bug Pokemon!" Roach said, happily. "If Kyle had a Bug Pokemon out too, I'd be rooting for him!"

"Okaaaaay…" Daniel said, his head cocked to one side slightly. Left unsaid was the 'is this guy for real?'. Kyle turned his attention back to the battle.

"Teddiursa, I want you to watch closely. I'm gonna help you get strong. Pikachu, I choose you!" he cheered as he threw Pikachu's ball.

"Pika!" Pikachu said anxiously.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" Kyle ordered. Pikachu charged forward, tail glowing.

"Seismic Toss, Pinsir," Angel said. As Pikachu swung around and tried to hit Pinsir with his tail, Pinsir grabbed his tail with one hand. It then brought up its other hand and gripped Pikachu's tail with both hands. Pinsir moved its whole body in circles, getting faster and faster, and holding Pikachu out in front of it. It stopped and let go, causing Pikachu to go flying.

"Pikachu! Come back here!" Kyle screamed. Pikachu came darting back using Quick Attack. When he got close enough, Pinsir jumped on him, pinning him down with one foot. Pikachu cried out.

"THUNDERBOLT!" Kyle shouted. Pikachu zapped Pinsir and it lifted its foot, allowing Pikachu to escape.

"YAY!" Tori and Candace cheered together.

"Now jump over its head and use Thunderbolt again!" Kyle cheered. "It won't be able to grab you or step on you!" Pikachu jumped up and Angel smiled.

"Uh…Not quite," Angel said. "Pinsir, use Vicegrip!" Small sparks were discharging from Pikachu's cheeks but they ceased immediately when Pinsir jumped up and tightened its pincers around Pikachu.

"PIKA!" Pikachu cried in pain while Pinsir crushed him. Kyle watched in terror, and Pinsir released after a little while. Pikachu fell motionless to the ground. Daniel cleared his throat.

"Pikachu," he said slowly, "is unable to battle…" Both Kyle and Angel returned their Pokemon to their balls. Roach was jumping and cheering.

"Ok, Mime Jr.," Kyle said, "you're up!" Mime Jr. saluted and ran forward.

"Buizel, let's go!" Angel shouted as he threw out a Net Ball. A Buizel came out on all fours and Angel continued, "I caught this one in Hugel before I left. This is his first battle."

"Well that doesn't mean I'll go easy on it," Kyle said with an attitude. Mime Jr. mimicked his tone: "Mime mime mima mime mime mime mima mime mime!" Candace fought back a grin at the Mimic Pokemon's impression of Kyle.

"Buizel, use Sonic Boom!" Angel ordered. Buizel's tail began to glow as it flung two visible waves of energy at Mime Jr.

"Use Barrier, Mime Jr!" Kyle shouted. Mime Jr. raised its arms and a blue shield appeared in front of him. The sound waves reflected off and flew back at Buizel, who back flipped to dodge them. The barrier disappeared and Mime Jr. gasped.

"Hey, don't worry, Mime Jr., it's a new move, it's understandable if you can't hold it for very long," Kyle explained. Mime Jr. nodded at this.

"Use Aqua Jet!" Angel yelled. Buizel became surrounded in a bullet-shaped jet of water, jumped up, and shot towards Mime Jr., stomach side-down.

"Confusion!" Kyle ordered. Mime Jr. raised his arms, his eyes glowed blue, and Buizel stopped in his tracks, but was still surrounded by water. Mime Jr. jerked his arms and Buizel flew back against a tree. Buizel then struggled back to his feet. Kyle told Mime Jr. to use Mimic, so Mime Jr. became surrounded in an Aqua Jet too. He then launched himself at Buizel.

"Quick, use Water Pulse!" Angel ordered. Buizel formed a sphere of water in his palm and charged at Mime Jr. He hit the tip of the Aqua Jet with the sphere of water. There was an explosion and both Pokemon flew back in opposite directions. Mime Jr. landed on his feet but Buizel crashed back into the tree again, this time snapping the tree in half.

"Pick up that tree with Confusion," Kyle said. Mime Jr. raised his arms and the piece of tree floated up. Kyle continued, "Now, hit it!" Mime Jr. moved his arms closer together, fist over fist, as if he was holding a baseball bat. He then jerked his arms up and down, holding this position. The tree moved up and down with his arms, beating the hell out of Buizel.

"Eeee…!" Buizel groaned, trying to keep at least one eye open. Mime Jr. continued for a while and then dropped the tree on top of Buizel. Daniel looked at Buizel, whose eyes were swirly. He announced that Buizel was done.

"Buizel, return," Angel said, pointing the Net Ball at Buizel, and a red beam returned him to the ball. Angel then sent out his Treecko. Mime Jr. rushed over to his trainer. Kyle grabbed Mime Jr.'s arms, swung in circles, and then hugged the Pokemon. Teddiursa, who had been watching carefully the whole time, was jumping with joy now.

"You were AMAZING!" Kyle cheered. "Now Phanpy, let's see if you can top that!" Kyle threw Phanpy's ball. Phanpy popped out and trumpeted. "Use Rollout!" Kyle ordered. Phanpy somersaulted towards Treecko.

"Use Pound!" Angel shouted. Treecko smacked Phanpy up towards a tree with its tail. Phanpy uncurled and pushed against the tree with his legs, rather than crashing. He curled up again and rotated back down, smashing into Treecko.

"Treecko!" it cried. Phanpy bounced off Treecko and landed with a little distance between the two.

"Use Quick Attack!" Angel commanded. Treecko darted forward with great speed.

"Dig!" Kyle yelled. Phanpy dodged by digging into the ground.

"After it!" Angel ordered. Treecko jumped into Phanpy's hole and Angel continued, "Now use Bullet Seed!" They heard a muffled shooting and then saw Phanpy popping out of the ground with a trail of seeds hitting him in the rear. Treecko popped up from the same hole, still firing Bullet Seeds from its mouth.

"Phanpy, deflect them with Defense Curl!" Kyle shouted. Phanpy, who was still in midair, curled up. The seeds reflected off and rained down over Treecko, who stopped spitting seeds and performed a series of flips, jumps, and blocks with its tail. It appeared to not have been hit by a single seed. Phanpy uncurled and landed on all fours, and the two Pokemon had a stare down.

"Tree…" Treecko growled.

"Oompah!" Phanpy trumpeted angrily.

"Give it the hardest Take Down you've got!" Kyle ordered. Phanpy charged forward and Treecko flipped back, but almost crashed into a tree. It backed up against the tree and appeared cornered. Phanpy got really close but Treecko darted to the left at the last second, and Phanpy ran into the tree. He stumbled back dizzily and fell down. Kyle gasped.

"Teddi! Teddi!" Teddiursa cheered on, desperately. He looked very concerned.

"Yeah, get up, Phanpy!" Kyle urged. Phanpy struggled to his feet.

"Let's finish this," Angel said, "with Bullet Seed!" Treecko nodded and began to fire seeds at Phanpy once again.

"Rollout!" Kyle shouted. Phanpy curled into a ball and rolled forward. The seeds hit but reflected off, flying in various directions. Phanpy mowed over Treecko before it could escape and he continued to roll over it repeatedly. He rolled over it once more and stopped, several feet away.

"Quick Attack!" Angel ordered.

"Take Down!" Kyle added. The two Pokemon charged at each other, Treecko with great speed and Phanpy with great power. The two Pokemon collided, head on, and flew back in opposite directions. They stared at each other for a moment and collapsed at the same time.

"Return…" Angel said, returning Treecko to its ball. Kyle, Teddiursa, and Mime Jr. ran to Phanpy's side.

"You did great," Kyle said. "Come on back, Phanpy." He took out Phanpy's ball and returned him. They looked up at Angel, who was mounting the rent-a-Dodrio.

"I'm surprised you're so happy," Angel snarled. "It's not like this was a real victory for you."

Kyle opened his mouth to retort, but Daniel cut him off, "Angel, you know your battling style needs serious work."

"What do you mean, loser?" Angel snapped back.

Daniel's face twitched, but he stayed cool. "You use your Pokemon's natural strengths, true, but you haven't even scratched the surface of what they're truly capable of. Like your Treecko. Yes, you use his speed well, but you're relying too much on it."

Angel shook his head dismissively. "You're just lucky I haven't worked with Buizel at all," he said, and took off. Kyle glared after him and then turned to Teddiursa when Angel was out of sight.

"Did you learn a lot?" he asked.

"Teh-teh-di!" Teddiursa cheered happily.

"Good!" he said, "Now come on back!" He took out Teddiursa's Pokeball and returned him to it.

"Sorry you didn't win," Candace said, "but at least you didn't lose either!"

"Yeah…" he said, "…Candace, I'm confused about something."

"Hm?" she asked, cocking her head.

"How come gym battles and the battle you had with Daniel are…like knockout battles, where you try to take out ALL of the opponent's Pokemon, but my battle with Angel and all of our other battles are different? It's like the best two out of three or however many we battle with because you call your Pokemon back regardless of whether it faints or not…" Kyle wondered.

"Well," Daniel said, "those knock out battles were close to Pokemon Centers, but here, there aren't any close by…If you have a knockout battle out here, and lose, you'll be left with all of your Pokemon severely injured and unable to protect you from wild Pokemon or bandits or whatever. If you battle and all but one of your Pokemon lose, then at least you'll have that one to travel with you until you find a hospital."

"Oh, ok," Kyle said, "that makes sense." Candace smiled at Daniel.

"Not that it matters much, with the meds I always keep handy," Daniel said.

"…We should get going too," Candace said.

"Yeah…" they all agreed and continued on their way to Neon City.

"_You_ have a Combee?" Roach asked excitedly, after walking for hours. Candace had casually brought her up.

"Uhhhh…" Candace said, smiling awkwardly.

"Can I see her? PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE!" Roach begged.

"Well actually, no," Candace said. Roach looked crushed.

"Aww…why not?" he asked, looking down.

"She doesn't get along with Eevee, so I'm sending her to Professor Maple and," Candace said.

"NO!" Roach screamed, cutting her off, "Don't do THAT!" Candace stared, shocked. "Give her to Chrys, The Neon City Gym Leader," he continued. "She'll take excellent care of your Combee, and send her back whenever you want her! Combee will have a lot more friends and have a lot more fun there, it'll be great!"

"I'll think about it…" Candace said, and they didn't speak of the matter again.

"And here we are!" Roach announced. They stepped up onto the top of a hill and saw Neon City. It was dark now and the view was amazing. All the buildings were colorfully lit up and there were all sorts of things: a casino, amusement park, contest stadium, and all sorts of other attractions. This city was HUGE! Roach stared admiringly and whispered, "Home, sweet home…" Daniel was smiling and everyone else was staring in awe. Kyle and Mime Jr. took off, running towards the city.

"This is SO COOL!" Kyle exclaimed. The others chased after him. They entered the city and stopped, looking around excitedly.

"Well, here's my stop," Roach announced, "so I'll see you all challenge the gym within the next few days, won't I?"

"You bet!" Kyle said.

"Alright then, but you won't stand a chance against Chrys! Bye bye! Let's go Dustox," Roach said as he turned down a street to the right. Dustox said goodbye to Beautifly and followed its trainer. Kyle, Candace, Tori, and Daniel found a hotel and checked into a room with four beds and a balcony with a great view. They ordered room service for dinner and went to bed early.

~_~_~  
Author Notes:

Read and review please. The main reason why I evolved Silcoon so early is because I had already written the contest scene (Chapter 12) and Tori had a Beautifly in it, so I decided to evolve her here. It is true that bug Pokemon evolve quickly though, so it's fine. In case you didn't catch this, Roach got his name from Cockroach because he's a Bug-type trainer.


	11. CH 11 Neon City Excursions

**Chapter 11: Neon City Excursions **

"Okay, so the contest is the day after tomorrow. I say we spend today shopping and tomorrow training. If we have time we'll check out some of the attractions. We'll go to the contest the day after tomorrow, and we'll challenge Chrys the next day. Then we'll check out more attractions!" Candace planned.

"Sounds good to me," Daniel said. The others nodded.

"But while you're shopping, me and Daniel will go train," Kyle said.

"No, you won't," Candace objected. "You're going to be shopping too. We need a replacement tent and maybe some more supplies."

"Fine," Kyle said, pouting. The trainers got ready and left the hotel. They didn't check out because they'd be there for a few days. They bought a map of the city from a street vendor and looked for a clothing store and Pokemart. The two stores were right next to each other but they were on the opposite side of the city. The trainers all sighed and got going.

"Oh look," Tori said, pointing. They were passing by a pink building with a brown roof. There were some berry plants out front and a delicious aroma drifting around the building. The sign out front said 'Poffin House.'

"What's a Poffin House?" Kyle asked.

"A place where you can cook Poffins," Tori replied excitedly.

"Oh…what's a Poffin?" Kyle asked.

"Treats for our Pokemon," she said. "I think we should go make some! If we make them right, it'll make them look really healthy and the Pokemon will love them!" They all decided to go in. Tori paired with Kyle to help him cook. Candace and Daniel worked on their own.

"Ok, I need some opinions, here," Candace said, taking out two Pokeballs and tossing them into the air. Growlithe and Pachirisu popped out, and Eevee jumped out of Candace's hoodie and stood next to them. Candace continued, "So…what are you guys up for? Sweet? Sour? Bitter? Spicy? Dry?"

"Good idea," Kyle said. He tossed three Pokeballs and Phanpy, Pikachu, and Teddiursa came out to give their opinion. Mime Jr. jumped off Kyle's shoulder and joined them. Tori sent out Flaaffy and Beautifly, and Daniel sent out Gabite, Skarmory, and Totodile, who immediately jumped onto the counter and tried to eat a wooden spoon.

"Yes, that's BITE!" Daniel said, taking the spoon away, "and _this_ is Water Gun!" He reached for the faucet in a nearby sink, pulled on it and it extended like a hose. He pressed the handle and sprayed Totodile with it. He repeated, "Water Gun!" and Totodile fell off the counter. Daniel picked up his Pokemon and set him back on the counter. "Got it?" he asked. Totodile nodded. "Good boy," he praised and scratched Totodile under the chin. Totodile shook, spraying water all over Daniel, and Candace giggled.

"To-to-DILE!" Totodile cheered.

"Not a word," Daniel growled, glaring at Candace. Everyone whipped up their own Poffins. Kyle used Tori's recipe and she helped him with it…well, actually it was more like she made her batch, as well as Kyle's, and _he _assisted _her_ when she asked for his help. They all let their Pokemon taste the batter and give approval before the batter was baked, and they made alterations as needed. They had several batches of Poffins made within the hour.

Poffins are like oversized donut holes and vary in color: Candace's were pink, Kyle's/Tori's were blue, and Daniel's were red. They packed up the Poffins and left the cooking house. Excluding the obvious two, all Pokemon were called back to their Pokeballs, and the trainers continued to the stores.

They arrived at an intersection. The Pokemart was on one corner and the clothing store was across from it on a different corner. Up ahead was the amusement park and Kyle stared longingly at it.

"We'll go to the amusement park later," Candace assured.

"YES!" Kyle cheered. The girls split up from the boys: they went to the clothing store and the boys went to the Pokemart, as planned.

"Wow!" Tori said, walking through the front door. Candace came in shortly after and stared in awe as well. It was a two-story store chock full of such a variety of clothes that it even had some kinds of clothing articles that the girls have never seen before. The colors were blended together so abnormally that even a rainbow would have been offended by the amount of obnoxious coloring of the room. Tori leaned in and whispered to Candace, "It even SMELLS like clothes in here!" Eevee grinned and nodded. The girls ran to the dress department and began to try on everything in their size; all of the dresses were so beautiful.

Eevee went off to explore on her own and wandered into the hat section of the store. She ran back, wearing a cowboy hat on her head, and a bandana around her neck. Candace and Tori laughed.

"No Eevee," Candace said, so Eevee ran back to put them away.

Candace bought medium-length black strapless dress with a single hot pink bow around the waist. It wasn't tight, but it wasn't overly poofy either. She would wear it with long black gloves that passed her elbows and hot pink knee-high boots that were the same shade as the bow on the dress.

Tori bought an aqua colored dress that was very long, flowing and poofy. It was strapless, like Candace's dress, and had vertical lines of silver sequins running down the bodice. She bought long gloves, like Candace, but hers were silver. She bought silver high heels but they couldn't be seen because the dress was so long.

They walked outside and met up with the boys.

"What took ya so long?" Kyle asked.

"Hey, we had to pick out our contest outfits! It's harder than you think!" Candace said, defensively.

"We need ball capsules and seals too…" Tori said.

"I thought you had some," Kyle said.

"Well…Candace doesn't," she replied, so they walked back. They had passed a ball capsule store at some point after the Poffin House and decided to go there.

"What exactly do these things do?" Kyle whispered as they walked into the store. Candace grabbed a six-pack of clear ball capsules off the shelf and looked at the seal selection. It was small store; all they sold were ball capsules, seals, and various kinds a Pokeballs, but there was a huge selection and bulk of each product.

"They're…" Tori began, "like cases…for your Pokeballs. They're clear, hollow Pokeballs. You put a Pokeball in it and then you put seals on it. Seals are special stickers. When you send out a Pokemon with, say, a smoke seal on its ball capsule, it'll come out in a cloud of smoke!"

"Cool…" Kyle said. Candace was done and paying for what she selected. They left the store and decided to spend the rest of the day training at the park. But when they got there, they found an unpleasant surprise.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Katya said, approaching the trainers. Candace glared.

"Do I sense a cat fight in the making?" Daniel whispered to Kyle.

"Yup, they hate each other," Kyle said.

"Damn, and here I am without a camera," Daniel said sadly, causing Kyle to snort.

Candace and Katya were now in each other's face shouting insults at each other. Katya noticed Daniel and stopped. She ran her fingers through her hair and walked over confidently.

"Hi there," she said, obviously flirting with him. "I don't think we've met, I'm Katya," she introduced with a wink.

"I'm sorry, but I can't hear you over the sound of me being awesome. If you'd like to stop insulting her, then I'll talk to you, however," Daniel said, not looking at her.

"Whatever," she said, rolling her eyes, "I don't know why you'd want to hang around these losers, but it's not my problem…" She turned back to Candace and they glared at each other.

"Are you and Tori going to train for that stupid contest or what?" Kyle asked all of a sudden. "We could be at the amusement park right now!"

"So you're competing, huh?" Katya asked. Candace nodded. "Well don't expect to win," Katya continued, "That ribbon is MINE!" and with that, she left. Candace stared until she was out of view then sighed.

"Why _are_ you hanging around us?" she asked, looking at Daniel innocently.

"Because you 'losers' actually have potential, and that's more than I can say for her," Daniel replied.

"What do you mean?" Tori asked.

"Simple. She is working alone with little, if any, input from others. We are working as a team. We've got each other's backs, and we know that we can count on each other," Daniel said. "No matter what the problem is." The others all smiled at hearing this.

"Well, let's get to work," Candace said. Eevee looked up at her trainer and could have sworn Candace was blushing a little. They trained for several hours then headed back to the hotel.

When they woke up the next morning, they decided to explore the city for a while and then train again in the afternoon. They got going and were heading down a street when they passed by a building. Candace looked at it.

"Pokemon Battling Competition Today..." Candace said.

"Hm?" Kyle asked. The others turned around and saw Candace staring at a poster on the outside of the building. They walked over.

"Hey I think we should compete!" Candace said.

"I thought you had a contest to practice for," Daniel said.

"This won't take all day," Candace said, "and there's a prize for the winner!" She pointed at the picture. There was a sky blue egg with white splotches on the poster.

"An egg?" Tori said.

"I really want to know what's inside it," Candace said.

"I have a guess, but I'm not sure," Daniel said.

"Either way, one of us should win this thing. Let's all compete." Candace said as walked into the building and the others followed her. There were about twenty other trainers inside.

"Whoa..." Kyle said. Candace saw a receptionist at a desk and walked over.

"Excuse me," she said to the woman, "is it too late to enter?" The woman looked up and smiled at her.

"No, you're just in time," the lady said, "you and your friends can go pick a Pokeball from that rack and bring it back here to be registered.

"We can't use our own Pokemon?" Candace asked.

"No, you have to use ours," the woman said. "Otherwise, it wouldn't be fair."

"Oh okay, that's fine," Candace said and motioned for the others to follow her. She led them to the cubby in the corner of the room. Each Pokeball was in a slot numbered from one to one hundred. Several Pokeballs were missing from it because other trainers had selected them. Candace turned to her friends, "Okay, we're supposed to pick one and register with it."

"Can't we see what's inside them first?" Kyle asked. Daniel pointed at a poster above them. It said "Please do not send out any of these Pokemon until instructed to do so! Those who disobey will be disqualified." Kyle crossed his arms.

"Alright...let's see here," Candace said, looking at the Pokeballs. "Number eighteen it is!" She grabbed the ball out of the eighteenth slot and walked back to the desk to register. Kyle grabbed the ball from slot twenty-two, Daniel grabbed the ball from slot sixty-nine, and Tori stood silently for a moment before selecting ball number forty-five. They all walked over to the desk to register as well.

"Fill out these forms and go through that door," the receptionist said, pointing to a back door. "It leads to the arena outside." They looked over and noticed most of the other trainers had walked out already. They quickly filled out and turned in their forms, and then went outside. There was a set of bleachers where all the trainers were sitting, so the four joined them.

"Welcome to the Neon City Pokemon Battling Competition," a man announced. "My name is Michael and I will be your referee today. When you hear your Pokeball numbers called, please come down to the arena for your battle. If you lose, please leave, and make sure to return your Pokeball to Evan, who's just through that door." He pointed, and a blond-haired boy stuck his head out the door and waved wildly, bringing laughter from the crowd. "If you win, return to the bleachers you are currently sitting in and wait for the next round. If you really want to stay and watch after you lose then sit on the other set of bleachers, which is currently empty. Now, let us begin! First up, we have entry number twenty-nine and entry number four, please come down for your battle." Two trainers walked down from the bleachers and positioned themselves. Their battle was pretty short, and about five other battles took place after them.

"Alright," Michael said, "entry number forty-five and entry number thirty-eight!" Tori walked down to the arena, as did a boy who appeared to be seven or eight. They positioned themselves and took out their Pokeballs.

"Come on out!" the boy shouted, throwing the Pokeball and out came a Linoone. Tori looked at the bleachers and saw the group of people staring at her. She got nervous and couldn't move.

"Uh-oh," Candace said, "someone's got stage fright."

"Come on Tori!" Kyle cheered and Mime Jr. sat up and cheered with him. Tori took a deep breath.

"It's showtime!" Tori yelled, threw the Pokeball and out came a Jynx.

"Use Sand-Attack!" the boy shouted. The Linoone turned around and kicked dirt into the Jynx's face. Jynx wiped at her eyes but couldn't open them. "Now use Slash!" the boy continued. The Linoone jumped onto Jynx and slashed at her with his sharp claws.

"Jynx, use Ice Punch!" Tori yelled. Jynx let one arm fall and her fist became surrounded by a blizzard. She then raised it back up and nailed the Linoone. He fell off her and hit the ground. Jynx took the time to get the sand out of her eyes and then looked down angrily at the Linoone.

"Use Thunder, Linoone!" the boy yelled. A bolt of lightning shot from above and fried Jynx. She then fell over in defeat. Tori frowned and called it back to its ball. She walked over to the door and returned Jynx's ball to Evan, and asked if it would be okay to sit with her friends instead of the other bleachers. Evan thought for a moment and said that was fine. She returned to the bleachers and sat with Candace, Kyle, and Daniel. Michael called a few more numbers, they battled, and then he got to number eighteen and number twenty-two.

"I'm not going easy on you," Candace said.

"And I'm not going easy on you either!" Kyle replied. Candace told Eevee to stay there and Kyle said the same to Mime Jr. They walked down to the arena together and positioned themselves.

"Be a good one!" Kyle shouted as he sent out a Pokemon. It was an Elekid. He smiled.

"Alright, come on out here!" Candace cheered as she sent out her Pokemon: Flareon. "Oh cool," she said, "another Eeveelution." She pointed her Pokedex at it.

"Flareon, the Flame Pokemon: Its body temperature tops one-thousand six-hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit before battle. Inhaled air is heated in the flame sac in its body to an intense fire over three-thousand degrees Fahrenheit," the Dex said. Candace put the Dex away.

"Elekid, use Thunderpunch!" Kyle ordered. Elekid's fist began to glow yellow and sparks of electricity surrounded it. He charged at Flareon to punch her.

"Flareon, dodge it! Use Fire Fang!" Flareon slid over to the side just as Elekid passed her and her mouth filled with flames. She bit down on Elekid's head and flames licked over the Electric-type's body. With a toss of her head, Flareon threw the Elekid across the ring.

"Elekid, use Shock Wave!" Elekid staggered to its feet and released a jolt of blue electricity from its body that struck Flareon and hurt her. "Great, Elekid! Keep it up!"

"Flareon, use Bite!" Flareon bit down on Elekid just as he shocked her again. Candace winced. "Use Fire Spin!" Flareon shot a cyclone of fire at Elekid that surrounded and trapped the Pokemon inside.

"Elekid, use Shock Wave again!" Elekid shot a bolt of electricity out of the fire at Flareon, missing her narrowly. The fire slowly subsided and Kyle ordered Elekid to use Thunderpunch and the Elekid charged forward.

"Flareon, use Fire Spin on yourself, and use Quick Attack!" Flareon's mouth filled with fire that coiled out and surrounded her as she sprinted forward, meeting Elekid's Thunderpunch with enough force to cause an explosion. As the smoke cleared, the spectators and trainers could see Elekid on the ground, unconscious, and Flareon standing over him, battered but still standing.

"Amazing!" Michael said. "Flareon's Flash Fire ability was activated by the Fire Spin, and that gave her the extra boost she needed to take out Elekid! Candace wins!"

Up in the stands, Tori was sitting next to Daniel, who was rolling his Pokeball in between his hands and staring down at the field. "She's got some serious potential," Tori heard Daniel mutter.

"What was that?" Tori asked.

"Nothing," Daniel said, a little too quickly. Tori shrugged and turned back to the competition. Kyle returned the Elekid and he and Candace sat back down with Tori and Daniel.

"Nicely done," Tori said to Candace. "How'd you know that using Fire Spin on Flareon would work?"

Candace grinned and said, "I didn't. I knew it would look pretty, and I figured that if I was going to go down against my own brother, I may as well look good doing it." Tori giggled as the next pair of competitors took their places. One sent out a Shellder, while the other sent out an Electrode. "Oh, this won't end well," Candace said.

After a string of six or seven battles, many of which were intense and destructive to the field, Michael called numbers sixty-nine and five. Daniel stood and entered the field, looking about as emotional as the underside of a Snorlax. His opponent, a tall man with blond hair that stood in spikes, threw his Pokeball into the ring. "Pokeball, Go!" he shouted. A Weavile popped out, slashing the air experimentally.

Daniel pitched his ball into the arena underhanded. "Come on out!" A Magmar exited the ball, looking a bit disoriented. "Oh, boy," he said.

"What's wrong?" Tori asked.

"If I remember correctly," Candace began, "Weavile is faster, stronger, and tougher than Magmar is. It's part Dark-type and part Ice-type, so Daniel has a type advantage, but from what I saw when he and I battled, I think he'd rather have a stronger Pokemon than a type advantage."

"Magmar, use Flamethrower!" Daniel ordered. Magmar sprayed a stream of fire from its mouth at the Weavile, who jumped out of the way, landing neatly to the side of it.

"Weavile, use Faint Attack!" the other trainer said. Weavile pointed off to the side; Magmar looked in the direction Weavile was pointing, looking for whatever Weavile was pointing at. While Magmar was distracted, Weavile slashed at him viciously, and someone in the crowd booed.

Daniel turned slowly, a disbelieving look on his face. "Excuse me? Did I just hear someone boo? If you don't like the way I'm battling, feel free to come on down and give it a try yourself. Or better yet, see me after this, and we'll settle it with our own Pokemon. If not, shut up," he said and then turned back, and continued, "Magmar! Use Lava Plume!" Magmar caused an explosion around itself, bringing up a mix of smog and flames to cover the area and dousing the Weavile in flames.

"Wow…" Candace said. "Touchy much?"

"Weavile, use Icy Wind!" The other trainer shouted. Weavile blew out a gust of freezing wind that flowed around Magmar, doing very little visible damage.

"Let's end this," Daniel said. "Magmar, use Fire Spin!" Magmar blew out a cyclone of fire that curled tightly around the Weavile, trapping it tightly. "Now use Focus Punch!" Magmar's hand began to glow as it reared back, before punching through the Fire Spin and clocking the Weavile, knocking it to the ground, where it lay unmoving.

"Weavile is unable to battle! Daniel is the winner!" Daniel quirked an eyebrow as the crowd cheered, but remained silent, shaking his opponent's hand and returning to the stands.

"What was that all about?" Candace asked as he sat down.

"Which part?" Daniel replied, looking nonchalant.

"Shutting the crowd up," Candace replied, as if it should be obvious.

"Well, it's a pet peeve of mine to have people criticize someone for something that they can't do better. If you can do something better than I can, say so, or show me how to do it better. If not, keep your trap shut," he replied.

Battle after battle went by as the day wore on. Daniel, Candace, Flareon and Magmar returned to the field two or three times apiece before they reached the finals. Candace had breezed past an apparently obscenely lucky trainer with a Weepinbell, and Daniel had won a pitched battle with a Glalie that simply refused to go down, no matter how many Flamethrowers it took. Finally, it went down after another Focus Punch, and Daniel progressed to the finals, matched up against Candace. After getting their Pokemon healed, the two trainers stepped into position on the field.

Daniel smiled sadly and said, "I know you won't let the fact that we know each other interfere with you giving your all to this, and I won't either."

"Good," Candace replied. "I hope you don't mind losing, because you're about to. Badly."

"We're down to our final round, everybody!" Michael boomed into a mic. "This has been an incredible day, and it all comes down to this! Ready! Set! Begin!"

"Flareon, let's go!" Candace cheered as she sent out the Flareon.

"Magmar! Let's bring it home!" Daniel shouted as he sent out the Magmar.

"Flareon! Use Fire Blast!" Candace shouted. Flareon shot five blasts of flame from its mouth that formed together as they flew at Magmar.

"Break it with a Fire Blast of your own, Magmar, then use Faint Attack," Daniel said. Magmar spat its own batch of flames that collided with Flareon's and neutralized them. As the flames died down, it became apparent that Magmar was no longer there. Flareon looked around wildly, searching for Magmar. Candace stared at her opponent, while Daniel simply smiled. Then Magmar landed, apparently out of nowhere, on top of Flareon, slamming it flat onto the ground, before springing off.

"Flareon! Use Sunny Day!" A white orb appeared in Flareon's mouth and she shot it into the sky, where the setting sun grew brighter, doubling in intensity. Most of the crowd squinted, and Daniel donned a pair of sunglasses from inside his jacket.

"Daniel's in trouble," Kyle said to Tori.

"Why do you say that?" The younger girl asked.

"Because he can't use Fire-type moves," Kyle answered. "All that would accomplish would be to make Flareon stronger, so he can't use Magmar's strongest moves. He'll have to end this quickly, too. The longer the battle goes on, the better Candace's chances of winning."

"Magmar, use Focus Punch!" Daniel shouted.

"Flareon, hit him with a Quick Attack!" Flareon sprinted forward, nailing Magmar in the head and breaking his focus. "Now, finish it! Use Overheat!" she continued. For the first time since she'd known him, Candace saw that Daniel was stressed. Flareon glowed red, and a blast of white-hot flame burst from her mouth, smaller trails of red and yellow fire trailing around the main stream. Magmar, still confused and unfocused, took the entire brunt of the blast, silhouetted by the flames. Daniel nodded slowly. The fire eventually dissipated, and Magmar stood there for a moment, before collapsing to the ground, unconscious.

"Magmar is unable to battle! Candace wins!" Michael shouted. The crowd burst to its feet, cheering and roaring as Candace and Daniel returned the Pokemon to their Pokeballs. "And now, for your prize!" Michael announced as he produced a Pokemon Egg, which was sky blue with white splotches on it. He held it up so the crowd could see it, before handing it to Candace, who took it carefully. "This Pokemon Egg was donated by the Pokemon Daycare in Lesotho Town. It comes with an incubator case to keep the Pokemon warm, to help speed hatching, and to help keep it safe. It also comes with its own Pokeball, placed on top of the case, to keep the baby Pokemon in when it hatches," he explained.

Candace cradled the Egg in her arms as Kyle, Tori, and Daniel closed around her. Daniel extended his hand. "Well done, Candace," he said. She gave him a cold look, and he left his hand extended for a long moment, before pulling it back and frowning.

"Keep today in mind in case you ever decide to question my battling abilities again," she said and then walked over to Evan and returned the Flareon. Daniel's face remained emotionless aside from a small twitch at one corner of his lip.

The four trainers left the building together after Daniel gave the Magmar back. Candace clutched the incubator with her egg inside. She rambled on about what could possibly be inside of it. They turned and walked down the street, passing two men. They were each dressed in a khaki uniform. The uniform consisted of a shirt and trousers, with a stylized J on the front of the shirt and brownish slash marks across it. The whole uniform looked relatively imposing, but the men wearing the uniform looked like a pair of low-watt bulbs.

"Hmmm…" one said quietly to the other. The trainers couldn't hear them. He continued, "I've seen a lot of eggs, but I tell ya…I aint ever seen an egg like that one."

"Yeah?" the other replied. "Then how bout we go ahead and take it? It might be somethin' worthwhile…"

"And if it isn't?" the first asked.

"Then we don't lose much. Those kids look easy to knock around. I bet it'll be no trouble at all," the second replied.

"Alright then," the first said, "let's hit it!" They followed after the trainers, sneakily.

"So, where to now?" Candace asked happily.

"The game corner or amusement park probably," Daniel said and Kyle began to cheer. Just then, a Cranidos charged forward and butted Candace's egg/case out of her arms. She gasped and gripped the arm it hit. She moaned in pain a little.

"Hey!" she screamed. The case flew up and was caught by one of the shady men. They were standing on top of a small building, and the other stood next to him chuckling.

"You should really be more careful with things like this," the man holding it said, "so I'm going to teach you a lesson about being careful. This egg is mine now."

"Give it back!" Candace demanded.

"Now why would we do that?" the other taunted. Candace reached for Pachirisu's ball.

"Eevee! Use Shadow Ball, Pachirisu, get that egg," she yelled quickly as she sent out Pachirisu. Eevee fired a Shadow Ball at Cranidos and it slid back a little. Pachirisu zipped up the building and snatched the egg in a matter of seconds.

"Dig and Discharge!" Candace ordered. Eevee dug into the ground and Pachirisu shocked the two men before darting up a tree with the egg.

"Grrr…" the one who hadn't been holding the egg (Grunt number two) said, "Cranidos, go!" He threw a Pokeball and a second Cranidos popped out beside the other. Daniel stepped forward.

"Totodile, help her out!" he yelled as he sent out Totodile. Totodile came out facing the right way this time, but was sitting on his head. As he looked around, he noticed everything was upside down; he got excited and kicked his legs joyfully. Candace giggled.

"Eevee!" Candace yelled. "Come on up!" Eevee launched up from the ground and nailed the first Cranidos. She then back-hand-sprang back. Daniel picked up Totodile and put him back down the right way. Totodile got even happier and danced around.

"Totodile, use Bite!" Daniel ordered, expecting Water Gun. Totodile charged forward and bit the second Cranidos, then cried out in pain from Cranidos' rock hard skin. Totodile let go and jumped around, clutching his mouth, crying: "Toto, toto, toto, toto, toto, toto, toto, TOTODILE!"

"Yikes," Candace said. Daniel smacked his forehead.

"NOW YOU UNDERSTAND?" he shouted angrily. "Then use Water Gun!" Totodile spat a stream of water that hit Cranidos One in the face and knocked it into Cranidos Two. Their skulls made a dull "CLONK" sound when they connected and the two Pokemon cried in pain as their heads vibrated like bells. The two men jumped down from the building.

"Use Zen Headbutt," said Grunt One.

"And Rock Smash!" Grunt Two added. The two Cranidos lowered their heads; Cranidos One's head glowed blue and Cranidos Two's head glowed white. They charged forward.

"Eevee, use Dig!" Candace yelled.

"Follow her!" Daniel ordered. "Have her dig a bunch of holes," he added quietly. Candace nodded.

"Eevee! Keep making holes!" Candace cheered. Eevee popped up, dug down again, and did this several times so there were many holes. Eevee dug back down and stayed once she felt there was enough.

"Totodile, use Water Gun!" Daniel shouted. They heard the sound of a chomp followed by Eevee screaming. Daniel banged his head against a street light pole. "THEN USE BITE!" he screamed. Water shot up from one of the holes, and Cranidos One jumped away to avoid it. Water sprang up from another hole and another and another until pretty soon, the two Cranidos were surrounded.

"Good idea," Candace said, "Now Eevee, come up once more." Eevee came out of the ground, riding on a fountain of water and used Dig on Cranidos Two. She then leapt up off the water and Cranidos Two was soaked. "Now use Shadow Ball!" Candace continued. Eevee, still in mid-air, fired a Shadow Ball at the other Cranidos, but it dodged out of the way.

"Totodile, come out and use Water Gun!" Daniel ordered. Totodile jumped out of the hole and finished off Cranidos Two. Grunt Two, obviously the weaker of the two grunts, growled as he called his fallen Pokemon back.

"Eevee! Use Double Team and then Shadow Ball at the ground!" Candace yelled. Eevee multiplied and surrounded Cranidos One. They all fired Shadow Ball at the ground, causing a cloud of dust to surround all the Pokemon. Cranidos One looked around but couldn't see. "Use Quick Attack!" Candace added.

"Jump!" the grunt ordered. The Eevee missed but Totodile jumped off one of the Eevee and flew up above Cranidos One.

"Ice Fang!" Daniel yelled. Ice shot from Totodile's fangs. Cranidos One became frozen in a ball of ice and crashed back down to the ground in defeat. Grunt One called back the Cranidos immediately.

"Worthless!" he shouted, looking at the Pokeball. The two grunts then fled together after throwing down a Smoke Ball.

Pachirisu hopped out of the tree and debated taking off with the egg, but decided against it. He instead gave it back to his trainer and nuzzled her leg. They all stood there, looking puzzled. They decided to just go back to the hotel and relax for the rest of the day.

"OH MY GOD!" Candace screamed when they walked into their room.

"What is it?" Kyle asked.

"Tori, we forgot to register for the contest!" Candace shouted in a panic. She grabbed Tori by the arm and took off, dragging Tori along with her. The boys stared blankly.

"Daniel?" Kyle asked quietly.

"Yes?" Daniel replied.

"Will I ever understand women?" Kyle asked.

"No," Daniel shook his head, "Never." The boys sent out all of their Pokemon and had a late lunch/early dinner. The girls took their sweet time getting back.

"What took ya so long?" Daniel asked. Candace held out an ID card of some sort. It had her picture and information on it.

"We had to be issued contest passes in order to enter the contest, so after we got them, we entered and then made some more Poffins," Candace explained.

"Ah," Daniel said. "Hungry?" Tori and Candace looked at each other.

"Yes!" they said together. The girls let their Pokemon out and ate with the boys. They spent the rest of the day playing with/pampering/grooming their Pokemon and relaxing. They went to bed late and almost slept in, but Pachirisu came to the rescue by waking them all up.

"We better get going," Candace said. Tori didn't move. The others shook her but she wouldn't get up.

"Tori, are you ok?" Kyle asked because she looked terrified.

"I'm so nervous!" she screamed then covered her mouth. Everyone stared, surprised at her volume.

"You'll be fine," Candace assured. "Now get up!" She pulled Tori out of bed and Tori got to her feet. She took a deep breath and walked to the bathroom to get dressed. She came out a few minutes later in her contest attire. Candace went in and changed into her dress as well. Then they headed to the contest hall, checked in, and were directed to a room with all of the contest coordinators.

"This is the lobby and all of coordinators are to wait in here, or in the dressing rooms to your right, until it is their turn to take the stage," the receptionist who had led them there informed. "Your friends are welcome to wait here or sit in the audience with all of the other fans. They can still watch it from down here on the TV screens." There were several TVs scattered about the room. They all had blue screens and said "Standby" in white. "The contest is being videotaped and broadcasted live," she continued, "so you can watch it down here. It's so the coordinators can keep their eye on their competition." The trainers nodded and the receptionist walked out of the room.

"Excuse me," a coordinator said, "are you two making your debut?" He was looking at Candace and Tori. They nodded. "Dang," he said, shaking his head, "that makes three newbies then…"

"Katya…" Candace thought, "Oh…speak of the devil…" Katya walked out of the dressing room. She was wearing a sparkly, purple dress. It was very long and seemed very tight. She was wearing a lot of expensive-looking jewelry, but not so much that it looked gaudy. Her hair was down and curled more than usual. She actually looked very pretty.

"Duke!" she squealed as she wrapped her arms around the coordinator. He had an annoyed expression on his face. "Oh em gee! I haven't seen you in like forever!" Katya cooed. Daniel face-palmed.

"We just met yesterday…" Duke said coldly.

"Well I've always been a fan," she said batting her eyes.

"Well thank you, but, if you could be so kind as to unhand me…" he trailed off.

"You are like THE BEST coordinator ever and it's such an honor to be in a contest with you and you're like so much more attractive in person," she rambled on, flirting, and holding her grip. He looked like he was going to bite someone's head off. She stopped talking and let go suddenly when she noticed Candace and Tori. She began to glare and Candace glared back.

"Oh boy," Daniel said.

"Duke, darling, don't associate with these four, they're certainly not worth your time," Katya said arrogantly. She grabbed Duke by the hand and pulled him away.

"Duke, darling, don't associate with these four, they're certainly not worth your time," Daniel mimicked, making the others laugh, not because he was doing it, but because Mime Jr. was doing it at the exact same time. "Y'know, I feel sorry for him, having to associate with Katya." The TVs flashed on.

"Welcome to the Neon City Pokemon Contest!" an MC announced, appearing on the screen.

"Here we go," Candace said, getting pumped.

"…Yeah…" Tori said, unconfidently. They all directed their focus to the screen.

~_~_~  
Author Notes:

Read and review please. This is the first appearance of this region's bad guys. They're not petty thieves like Team Rocket; they actually have world-domination type plans, but these grunts were just bored and trying to make a quick buck because they hadn't been given any orders from the higher-ups. The next time the trainers see them, they'll be doing something much worse.


	12. CH 12 And Making Their Debut

**Chapter 12: And Making Their Debut... **

"Welcome to the Neon City Pokemon Contest! I'm your emcee, Emma! And these are our three judges!" an orange-haired woman in a bright blue dress announced and then pointed to a table with three people sitting at. Each person had a screen below them, built into the table. Emma continued, from left to right, "Here we have our Pokemon Contest Director, Raoul Contesta! Next to him is Pokemon Fan Club President, Mr. Sukizo! And finally, Neon City's very own Nurse Joy!" Each judge smiled and waved and said that it was their pleasure to be there as she introduced them.

"Tori, calm down," Candace said. Kyle and Daniel moved their gaze from the TV screen to Tori, who was shaking like a leaf.

"You'll do fine!" Kyle said. "And it's not even your turn yet anyway!"

"Yeah," Candace said. "Just snap out of it and stay calm." Tori took a deep breath and nodded. They all looked back to the screen.

"First up, we have Katya making her debut as a contest coordinator!" Emma announced. Candace tightened her fists. Tori noticed, but didn't say anything. Katya walked onto the stage calmly and took out a Pokeball.

"Sentret! Let's go!" she shouted as she threw the ball. Sentret came out in a mist of glitter from the ball capsule and landed on its tail. Katya took out three tennis balls and threw them to Sentret one at a time. "Tail Whip," she ordered. Sentret began to juggle the balls with its tail.

"Adorable!" Emma shouted. Sentret cycled them around a few times and then knocked them high up with its tail.

"Now use Hyper Voice!" Katya continued. Sentret opened its mouth and blue circles were released. These sound vibrations were able to keep the tennis balls up in the air and they started circling around each other.

"Look at that control!" Contesta observed.

"To be able to juggle with Hyper Voice is quite remarkable!" Sukizo added.

"And just look how cute it is!" Nurse Joy added.

"Alright, and for the finish," Katya continued, "use Iron Tail!" Sentret sprang up, tail glowing, and sliced through the three tennis balls before somersaulting down and landing on its tail. Glitter rained down over it.

"Amazing! There was glitter inside the tennis balls the whole time!" Emma observed. "What a magnificent performance! Let's see if the other coordinators can top that!" Katya returned her Sentret to its ball and walked offstage. Several more performances took place. Some were good, some were really bad, and some were just flat-out bizarre. There were maybe one or two that were really good. Candace realized she was next and left the lobby.

"And next we have Candace, who is also making her debut as a contest coordinator!" the emcee announced. Candace ran out onto the stage.

"Eevee, come out!" she shouted as she twirled around and sent out her Eevee. The ball capsule caused Eevee to come out surrounded by hearts. She did a few somersaults and landed gracefully.

"How cute!" Emma observed.

"Alright Eevee," Candace said, "use Double Team!"

"Vee!" Eevee shouted as it multiplied into ten Eevee.

"Now use Shadow Ball!" Candace ordered. Nine of the Eevee formed a Shadow Ball but didn't release it. The other Eevee used one of the other Eevee as a spring board and bounced high up into the air. She formed a Shadow Ball as well. The other nine tilted their heads up and released. Then they ran to form a pyramid. The Eevee up in the air released hers, smacked it with her tail to give it more power, and then landed on top of the pyramid. The Shadow Balls collided with each other and caused an explosion of beautiful fireworks over the pyramid of Eevee. The crowd went wild.

"A very nice performance indeed," Contesta said.

"Remarkable!" Sukizo added.

"How beautiful!" Nurse Joy added. The Eevee at the top fired a Shadow Ball at the ground, knocking up a cloud of dust which masked the Eevee pyramid. The real Eevee ran out from the dust and jumped onto Candace's head. The dust cleared and the rest of the Eevee had vanished. Candace bowed and Eevee bowed her head with her. Then they left the stage together.

"Another fantastic performance!" Emma complimented. "And our final performance is another newbie. Give it up for Tori! ...Uhm Tori, you're up!" Tori was offstage, frozen in fear. Luckily, Candace figured something like that would happen and she didn't go back to the lobby. She was standing next to Tori.

"Come on, you'll do fine! Stop freaking out or you'll freak your Pokemon out too. You'll have fun! Get going," she said. Tori gulped and walked out to the stage.

"There you are!" the emcee cheered. "Don't be scared, dear!" Tori took a deep breath and threw a Pokeball into the air. Flaaffy came out in a small vortex of bright pink flowers. She twirled with them and landed.

"Flaaffy, use Captivate!" Tori ordered. Flaaffy began spinning around on one foot and released tons of pink hearts everywhere.

"Lovely!" the emcee noted.

"Now use Power Gem!" Tori added. Flaaffy stopped twirling and raised her arms up. She created a huge orange ball of energy and threw it up. It got bigger and bigger. "Now," Tori continued, "Signal Beam and then Flash!" A white orb began to glow at Flaaffy's forehead and a beautiful rainbow beam shot from it and hit the Power Gem. The Power Gem exploded and sparks rained down. Flaaffy used Flash and her whole body lit up beautifully. The sparks rained down around her and the hearts, still there from Captivate, exploded; colors flashed all around the glowing Flaaffy.

"Another beautiful performance!" the emcee cheered. The judges were speechless as they admired the beauty. Tori curtsied, called Flaaffy back to her ball, and walked back to the lobby. When she walked in, Candace pounced.

"SEE? I told you that you'd be great!" Candace exclaimed. "You did better than me!"

"No I didn't! Eevee was adorable," Tori said, smiling awkwardly.

"But Flaaffy was absolutely gorgeous!" Candace replied. "That was the best performance out of everyone here!" They continued to argue.

"Girls, Girls! GIRLS!" Kyle said. They wouldn't stop.

"SHUT UP!" Daniel said. The two girls fell silent. Daniel was looking at the screen, and they all turned to it and watched.

"The judges are just tallying up the coordinators' scores and will announce who moves on to the next round!" Emma announced. There was a bleep and eight coordinator's pictures appeared on the screen. Tori's picture appeared first. Candace and Katya also made the cut along with five other coordinators, including Duke.

"I told you that you were the best!" Candace said. Tori blushed.

"We're shuffling the names up!" Emma announced. They all looked back at the screen. The pictures of the trainers scrambled around for a few moments and appeared on the screen in a different order. Candace and another coordinator left the room because they were listed first. They walked out onto the stage and positioned themselves.

"Alright folks!" Emma announced. This is the second round of the Neon City Contest. In this part of the contest, our coordinators will dazzle us with their amazing battling skills. Each battle will last five minutes and the coordinator with the most points at the end of the five minutes gets to move on! If a Pokemon is rendered unable to battle, then they automatically lose! First up are Candace and Jeremy! Let the battle begin!"

"Growlithe, let's go!" Candace shouted as she threw a Pokeball. He came out surrounded in embers from the ball capsule.

"You can do it, Staryu!" Jeremy cheered as he sent out a Staryu which appeared, crowded by bubbles from a ball capsule.

"Oh no," Kyle said, "Growlithe's at a disadvantage…"

"Growlithe's going to have some starfish for dinner," Daniel said.

"Huh? You don't think they're going to have trouble with the Water-type?" Kyle asked.

"I never said that," Daniel replied, "I just know that Growlithe has a hell of a lot of power. More than Eevee."

"Oh…" Kyle said.

"Growlithe, use Take Down!" Candace ordered. Growlithe charged at the Staryu.

"Look at him go!" Emma exclaimed. "What speed and power!"

"Quick, Staryu, dodge it and use Water Gun!" Jeremy shouted. Staryu jumped up out of Growlithe's path and shot a Water Gun at him. Candace lost some points because Growlithe's Take Down didn't hit.

"Uh oh!" Emma said.

"Jump out of the way!" Candace yelled. Growlithe obeyed, and Jeremy lost points.

"Put a spin on it!" Jeremy ordered. The Staryu began to spin and the water shot everywhere. Growlithe couldn't avoid it and was nailed pretty badly.

"And that's going to cost her a lot of points!" Emma announced. "Not only did it hurt Growlithe, but it made Staryu look great! And that's what we want to see!" The Staryu landed with some distance between it and Growlithe.

"Use Swift!" Jeremy yelled. Staryu jumped up and started spinning. It flew at Growlithe like a ninja shuriken.

"Catch it with Bite!" Candace ordered. Growlithe charged at the Staryu, jumped up, catching it in his mouth like a Frisbee, and chomped down hard.

"How cute!" Emma declared. "And that's going to cost Jeremy a lot of points!"

"Throw it!" Candace continued. Growlithe hurled the Staryu at a wall. The Staryu hit the wall and slid down.

"Staryu!" Jeremy shouted. "Use Bubblebeam!"

"Flame Wheel!" Candace ordered. As Staryu shot a trail of bubbles at Growlithe, Growlithe shot some fire from its mouth, rolled forward, and became a somersaulting ball of fire. He dodged the bubbles and slammed into Staryu, causing it to collapse. A buzz was sounded and red X's appeared on the screens below the judges.

"That means Candace automatically wins because the Staryu can't go on," Tori said to Daniel and Kyle. They nodded. Emma announced that Candace would be moving on to the semi-finals. Both coordinators shook hands and then called their Pokemon back and returned to the lobby. The next two coordinators were called for. As Candace and Jeremy walked down the hallway back to the lobby, they passed the next two coordinators: Duke and a boy named Charlie. Duke had brown hair and green eyes. He was wearing a simple green tuxedo that matched his eyes. There was a blue ribbon on a string around his neck. Jeremy gasped.

"That's the Aqua Ribbon! You won the Wallace Cup?" he asked Duke. Candace stopped and cocked her head. Duke smiled and produced a case. He popped it open and there were two ribbons inside.

"I won these too," Duke said, "so I just need two more to participate in the Grand Festival.

"Grand…Festival?" Candace asked.

"You really are a newbie, aren't you," Duke taunted. "In each region, you need to collect five ribbons to participate in the Grand Festival, a contest for very skilled coordinators only, the best of the best. Special ribbons like my Wallace Cup Aqua Ribbon can be used to participate in the Grand Festival of any region but the ribbon we are competing for today, for example, wouldn't count as your five in, say…Kanto. I won this Aqua Ribbon about a year ago in Sinnoh, now I only need four ribbons per region. Understand?"

"Yea…" Candace said, a little embarrassed.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get to the stage," Duke said snobbishly. He and Charlie continued to the stage. Candace got nervous.

"He…definitely has experience," Candace thought to herself, "and if he wins this match, then I'm going to have to battle him…will I be able to handle it?" She ran back to the lobby, joining her friends. They watched the next battle together: Duke's Poochyena versus Charlie's Jumpluff. Duke won by a large margin.

"Duke…didn't…lose…any points…" Candace said, shaking slightly. She then sat down into a couch that was next to them and held Eevee tight.

"V…Vee? VEE!" Eevee screamed. Candace gasped and loosened her grip. Eevee glared up at her, panting for air.

"Eevee…I'm so sorry," Candace said.

"Hey, weren't you the one who was telling Tori to calm down a moment ago? Maybe you should take some of your own advice," Daniel said. Candace stopped freaking out and looked up at him, smiling.

"You're right…I'll be fine!" she said.

"Good," Daniel replied dryly. "I'm sure Eevee and her lungs will be glad to hear that." Candace giggled.

"Katya…" Tori said, looking up at the screen. The others looked too. They saw Katya and a girl named Annabelle positioned on the stage. Katya sent out her Torchic and Annabelle sent out a Miltank. Tori and Candace paid close attention to the five minute battle, learning from any mistakes, good combinations, etc. When the time ran out, the screen revealed that Katya had won.

"Tch," Candace said, rolling her eyes. She then smiled at Tori, "You're up!" Tori seemed much more relaxed now. She and her opponent, Stephen left the room. When they got onto the stage, Tori sent out her newly evolved Beautifly who came out in a mass of swirling glitter from the ball capsule. Stephen sent out a Breloom who appeared amongst a bunch of hearts, stars, glitter, as well as other things.

"Someone went a little crazy with the seals…" Candace said, giggling.

"Tori has a HUGE advantage!" Kyle exclaimed, "Breloom's Fighting and Grass moves aren't going to do much against her Beautifly and Beautifly's flying moves should knock it out!"

"It's not about knocking out the other Pokemon though," Candace said, "It's about showcasing your Pokemon and its abilities."

"Still, Tori should have a relatively easy time with this battle. Unless something goes horribly wrong, that is," Daniel interjected.

"What's this?" they heard Emma ask and they all turned back to the screen. The camera focused in on the audience and then closed in on Roach.

"Oh…my…God…" Candace said, staring at the screen. Roach was dressed up in a Beautifly outfit, screaming and flailing spastically.

"COME ON BEAUTIFLY! SHOW EM' HOW IT'S DONE! COME ON BEAUTIFLY! YOU'RE NUMBER ONE, YOU'RE NUMBER ONE! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he was screaming, among other various chants. Candace, Kyle, and Daniel smacked their foreheads. Tori blushed.

"Well, well, it looks like Tori has her very first fan!" Emma announced, making Tori blush even more. Tori hid her face in her hands and Stephen laughed. Tori took a deep breath and calmed down.

"Beautifly, use Silver Wind and then Gust!" Tori yelled. Beautifly flapped her wings, glittery powder rained down. She then flapped more rapidly, sending it at Breloom with more power.

"Use Stun Spore," Stephen yelled. Orange powder released from Breloom's head and collided with the silver powder. There was a small explosion and sparkles fell down over the two Pokemon. Both coordinators lost points.

"Aerial Ace!" Tori shouted. White streaks surrounded Beautifly's body and it swooped down, attempting to ram into the Breloom.

"Stop it with Mach Punch!" Stephen yelled. Breloom's fist began to glow and it punched Beautifly's head when she got close enough.

"Bee-yoo!" she cried as she flew back and hit the wall.

"That's a powerful Breloom," Candace said.

"Use Morning Sun and then go into another Aerial Ace," Tori said. Beautifly's whole body began to glow white and yellow rays shined from her. White streaks then surrounded her before the Morning Sun was over and she charged at Breloom again.

"Beautiful!" Emma announced. "Beautifly looks GREAT and that's going to cost Stephen some points!"

"That's not going to work! Use Mach Punch again!" Stephen ordered. This time Beautifly avoided getting hit by rotating on her side and moving to the left. She swurved around and hit Breloom hard from behind and it skidded back.

"There we go!" Candace said. "And that did some big damage too!"

"Double Team!" Stephen ordered. "And then Stun Spore!" Breloom multiplied into many others and they gathered in a ring below Beautifly, who had flown a little higher up, and one jumped up above Beautifly. They all released orange powder up at her.

"Looks like Beautifly's surrounded!" Emma observed. "There's not much time left, can Beautifly manage to maintain her current advantage?" The score board revealed that Tori had more points than Stephen.

"Rotate, using Gust!" Tori yelled. Beautifly flapped her wings as she spun around. She created air currents that traveled in many different directions. The Stun Spore swirled around her, making her look beautiful. "Now use Silver Wind!" Tori added. Beautifly continued rotating and flapping her wings but Silver Powder was released this time. It collided with the swirling orange powder, causing a small explosion and more sparkles. The fake Breloom disappeared.

"Sky Uppercut!" Stephen ordered.

"String Shot!" Tori yelled. Breloom jumped up into the air, fist glowing, but Beautifly shot a string of sticky silk at it. It became trapped in a glob of the silk and fell back down to the ground, struggling to break free.

"AND TIME!" Emma announced. The scoreboard showed that both coordinators were almost out of points, but also that Tori had just a little more of her bar filled than Stephen. Stephen's picture disappeared from the screen, as Tori's picture was enlarged and the word "WINNER" appeared above her head.

"HELL YEAH!" Roach screamed, flapping his 'wings.' Both coordinators returned their Pokemon, shook hands and left the stage. Candace and Duke passed by them in the hallway, so Tori and Candace high-fived each other as they passed each other. Candace and Duke continued to the stage and positioned themselves.

"We're down to the semi-finals now, whoever wins this match will continue to the final round and be closer to that Neon Ribbon!" Emma announced. "Let it begin!"

"Growlithe, come on out!" Candace cheered as she sent out Growlithe who once again came out surrounded by embers.

"Poochyena, you're up!" Duke exclaimed. Poochyena came out, surrounded by thunderbolts.

"PUPPIES!" Kyle shouted. Everyone in the room looked at him for a moment. Kyle looked back at them as if to say, "What? You wanted to say it too!"

"Growlithe, use Flame Wheel!" Candace yelled. Growlithe became a somersaulting ball of fire and rolled toward the Poochyena.

"Jump," Duke said.

"You too," Candace said. Poochyena jumped up and the ball of fire bounced up over and passed Poochyena.

"Come out of it and use Flamethrower!" Candace yelled. Growlithe stopped using Flame Wheel and shot a large flame from his mouth in mid-air, torching Poochyena. Poochyena landed, whimpering. Growlithe flipped, extended his hind legs against the wall and launched himself back to a spot in front of his trainer.

"Thunder Fang!" Duke shouted. Poochyena charged forward, his fangs sparking with electricity.

"Dodge it!" Candace yelled, but Poochyena was too fast and jumped onto Growlithe, digging his fangs into Growlithe's neck.

"Then use Take Down!" Candace ordered. Growlithe took off, dragging Poochyena along. "And stop!" Candace added. Growlithe stopped abruptly and Poochyena went flying.

"Poochyena! Pull yourself together!" Duke yelled. Poochyena flipped and landed gracefully. "Good," Duke praised, "Now use Ice Fang!" Poochyena charged forward once again, sending the bolts of icy energy flying from its mouth.

"Flame Wheel!" Candace ordered. Growlithe charged forward, rolled into a Flame Wheel, and plowed over Poochyena.

"Poochyena, use Fire Fang and Dark Pulse!" Duke shouted. Poochyena charged quickly at Growlithe again, and grabbed his neck. The fire didn't seem to hurt Growlithe much, but the purple beam of circles that Poochyena released from its mouth did.

"GROWOO!" he howled in pain.

"Flame Wheel, Growlithe!" Candace ordered. Growlithe balled up and took off. Poochyena let go and Growlithe hit a wall, bounced off, and plowed over Poochyena.

"Use Poison Fang!" Duke commanded.

"Wow! It took some extreme breeding skills to get a Poochyena will all of the fang moves!" Nurse Joy said, admiring the Poochyena. Poochyena charged at Growlithe with its mouth open, once again. This time, its fangs seemed to drip toxins.

"Growlithe use Sand Attack!" Candace ordered. Growlithe turned around and kicked dirt into Poochyena's face. A lot of it got into its mouth. Poochyena stopped and tried to spit it out, hacking and coughing. "Now use Flamethrower into Take Down!" Candace continued. Growlithe shot a huge Flamethrower at Poochyena, sending it flying back. Growlithe charged forward through the flames and came out the other end, engulfed in flames, and he rammed into Poochyena.

"Er…" Duke said, getting flustered because time was running out and he was losing. "Crunch!" he ordered. Poochyena opened its mouth and attempted to bite Growlithe.

"Shove its face into the ground and use Bite!" Candace shouted. Growlithe pushed Poochyena's face into the dirt with his front paws and dug his teeth into its neck.

"And time!" Emma announced. "Candace has more points, so she is the winner and will move on to the Final Round!" Candace and Duke called their Pokemon back, shook hands and returned to the lobby. Tori and Katya walked out onto the stage and positioned themselves. The emcee told them to begin. Candace practically ran back to the lobby so she wouldn't miss a second of the battle.

"How'd I do?" she asked, panting.

"AWESOME!" Kyle said. Eevee jumped into her arms.

"Hehe, thanks," she said and turned her attention to the screen.

"Torchic, let's show em what you can do!" Katya shouted as she sent out her Torchic. The ball capsule caused Torchic to appear out of a black cloud of smoke.

"Beautifly, it's show time!" Tori cheered, as she sent out her Beautifly, who again appeared in a mass of swirling glitter. Roach went wild.

"This isn't going to be easy for Tori," Candace observed, watching the screen from the lobby.

"She can do it!" Kyle cheered. Mime Jr. put one fist in the air and cheered along with him. Candace smiled at them and looked back at the screen. Daniel didn't say anything, merely watching the arena intently.

"Ok, Torchic," Katya began, "use Scratch!" Torchic charged at Beautifly but Beautifly moved out of the way as it tried to slice her with its foot.

"That's not going to work with us," Tori said with surprising confidence. "Beautifly, use String Shot!" Beautifly shot out a white string of sticky silk which wrapped around Torchic's foot. "Now send it flying!" she continued. Beautifly flew a little higher and started to spin, making Torchic swing around and around. Beautifly released her string shot, sending Torchic flying against the wall. Katya's points were greatly reduced.

"Amazing!" Emma called.

"Torchic, use Ember now!" Katya ordered.

"Beautifly! Somersault and use Silver Wind to shield yourself!" Tori shouted.

"Bee-yoo-tee-fly!" Beautifly chanted as she flipped repeatedly while flapping her wings rapidly, using Silverwind.

"What's this?" Emma asked. Beautifly continued until she disappeared into a thick, sparkly grey sphere.

"It's absolutely beautiful!" Emma observed. Ember hit but couldn't penetrate it. It instead made the sphere sparkle even more. The audience was dazzled by it. Beautifly stopped using Silver Wind and did a twirl as the sphere broke apart.

"Katya's going to have to come up with something quick! We're running out of time and she's lost quite a bit of points while Tori has yet to lose any points!" Emma announced.

"Errr..." Katya growled, "Alright...use a Quick Attack-Peck combo!" Torchic ran as fast as it could with a trailing flash of light.

"What speed!" The emcee yelled. Tori's points went down slightly because Torchic was upstaging Beautifly. It then launched itself off the ground and headed for Beautifly! As it got closer, its beak began to glow and then hit Beautifly with great force. It was super effective and Tori's points dropped dramatically.

"BEAUTIFLY!" Tori screamed. Torchic did a backflip and landed back on the ground. It's grace lost Tori some more points. Beautifly fell to the ground. "Get up!" Tori urged. Beautifly struggled but stood up on its feet.

"Now use Fire Spin!" Katya ordered. Torchic shot a vortex of fire out of its mouth and it headed straight for Beautifly.

"Dodge it!" Tori cried. Beautifly flapped her wings and flew out of its path. Tori had to dodge out of the way too. "Ok, that's great!" she said. "Now use Gust!" Beautifly violently flapped her wings, creating a gust of wind.

"Jump up and use Ember!" Katya ordered. Torchic avoided the move and used Ember in mid-air. They hit Beautifly's back.

"TEE-FLY!" she cried and fell back to the ground. She barely got back up.

"Use Fire Spin!" Katya shouted. Torchic shot another Fire Spin at Beautifly. It torched her and she could no longer get up. They heard a buzz and red X's appeared on the screens below the judges.

"No…" Tori said to herself.

"RIGGED!" Roach shouted from the audience, throwing trash. "BOOOOOOOOO!"

"Can someone please remove him?" Emma asked, annoyed. Two security guards grabbed him and escorted him out.

Tori called Beautifly back and said, "You were great!" She walked over to shake Katya's hand but Katya picked up Torchic and stared snobbishly at her. Tori frowned and returned to the lobby, but Katya stayed onstage.

"Alright, it's the Final Round!" Emma announced, "Candace come on out!" Candace walked out onto the stage. Emma continued, "The winner of this battle will win the Neon Ribbon!" She held up a green and purple ribbon and the crowd clapped.

"I don't know how a loser like you managed to make it to the finals, but your luck runs out here," Katya said.

"Yeah, we'll see," Candace said, rolling her eyes. They both sent out their Fire Pokemon.

"Let the battle begin!" Emma cheered.

"Use Fire Spin!" Katya ordered. Torchic shot a vortex of fire at Growlithe.

"Dodge it with Flame Wheel!" Candace yelled. Growlithe rolled into Flame Wheel and bounced into the air. "Hold it and use Flamethrower!" Candace added. Growlithe continued Flame Wheel and separate flames branched off of him. Not only did it make him look cool, but it hit Torchic as well. Growlithe came out of it and landed in a cool stance in front of Candace.

"Use Quick Attack into Scratch!" Katya commanded. Torchic rushed forward, jumped up, and landed, slicing Growlithe with its glowing foot.

"Well well!" Emma said, "It looks like that little Scratch has developed into a powerful Slash!"

"Use Flamethrower!" Candace ordered.

"Fire Spin!" Katya shouted. Both Pokemon shot fire from their mouths and the two blasts collided. Each Pokemon pushed hard, but Growlithe's was more powerful. His Flamethrower pushed back Torchic's Fire Spin and caused an explosion. Tiny, harmless embers rained down.

"Take Down and then Bite!" Candace cheered. Growlithe charged forward and rammed into Torchic. He then jumped and landed behind Torchic, who was flying back, and caught it in his mouth. "Toss it up and use Flamethrower!" Candace added. Growlithe threw Torchic up into the air and shot a Flamethrower at it. Torchic was forced into somersaulting at the top of the flame.

"TORRR!" it cried.

"Torchic! Get away!" Katya screamed, but was no use.

"Flame Wheel!" Candace ordered. Growlithe rolled into a Flame Wheel and shot up through its own Flamethrower sending Torchic flying high into the air. Growlithe landed on all fours and Torchic landed on its back.

"Get up!" Katya ordered, "And use Slash!" Torchic struggled to stand, but managed to get back up. Its foot began to glow white and it charged forward.

"Catch its foot with Bite and then give it a spin," Candace said. Growlithe grabbed Torchic by the ankle when it got close enough, causing the glowing to stop. Growlithe then ran around in circles, with Torchic's ankle still in his mouth.

"Make it look nice with a small Flamethrower," Candace said. Growlithe sent out a small, single flame which went around and around and around with him.

"How cool!" Emma commented. "It almost looks like spin art, doesn't it? Not much time left; we're down to a matter of seconds. Can Katya pull off a miraculous turnaround?" Katya couldn't do a thing. She just stood staring at the scene. The timer went off and Candace was announced the winner. Back in the lobby, Tori and Kyle were cheering. Daniel didn't seem to care.

"Hmph," Katya said, returning Torchic to its ball, and left. Candace walked to the middle of the stage and sent out Eevee. She stood in the middle of the two Pokemon as Emma presented the Neon Ribbon, congratulated her, and handed it over. Candace cupped it in both hands and thanked Emma and the judges.

Afterwards, when they were leaving the building, Candace realized that she had yet to get a case for her ribbons. She held her ribbon out in front of her in both hands, admiring it. "Where am I going to put it?" she asked. "Maybe Eevee can wear it!"

"Or you can put it in your gym badge case," Kyle joked. Duke, who was standing nearby, heard this and walked over to them.

"GYM BADGE CASE?" Duke shouted, looking furious. "LOOK HERE, you better decide what exactly you want to do: Gym battles or Contests. You have to focus all your energy on one or the other. I can tell you now that there are _a lot_ of coordinators like me who take contests _seriously_ and seeing someone like you just glide from Contest to Contest, not knowing the difference between a Contest battle and a Gym battle will make all of us lose any respect we have for you. And I bet other Gym battlers feel the same way about you entering Contests. Stop looking at me with those sad, stupid eyes like you don't understand…You need to take contest battling seriously. In order to do that, you can't challenge gyms. If you _need_ to challenge gyms, then don't participate in contests! You can't do both. Your victory here today was a fluke: my carelessness, your luck, and nothing else!"

"Don't. You. EVER tell me what I can and can't do!" Candace shouted as she glared at Duke. Eevee's ears went back and she looked up at her trainer, a little scared. Mime Jr. joined in the scolding, raising a fist and yelling "MIME MIMA!" as Candace spoke. She continued, "Who the hell do you think you are anyway? You act like you're better than everyone else, but you're NOT! If you were then YOU'D be holding up the Neon Ribbon right now, not ME! You didn't even make it to the finals today! If you're going to open your mouth and say stuff like THAT, then you better damn well be as strong and experienced as you say you are. And…HEY!" Duke had turned around and started storming away. Candace gritted her teeth and glared angrily at him. "I don't know whose worse…" she said turning to her friends, "Katya…or HIM…"

"Him," Daniel said, nodding sagely. "Definitely him. Katya's not nearly as much of a diva as he is."

~_~_~  
Author Notes:

Read and review please. Thank you to everyone who's been reviewing my fanfic :D It really means a lot to me and I'm glad you like it.

Truth be told, Duke's Poochyena is a semi-newborn. His Pokemon are actually a lot more powerful and our friends will have much more trouble with him later. Oh and if you're wondering why Pokemon in this fanfic don't follow the four moves rule, it's because I'm basing it off of the anime, not the game. In the anime, there have been Pokemon who use more than four moves. If you don't believe me, watch Episode 183. The Vaporeon uses five moves in one battle (Sand Attack, Tackle, Water Gun, Quick Attack, and Aurora Beam I believe).


	13. CH 13 Buzz Off!

**Chapter 13: Buzz Off!**

"Pachii!" Pachirisu yelled as he shocked the trainers, Eevee, and Mime Jr.

"Good morning," Candace said and then rolled out of her bed, running her fingers through her socket hair.

"Pachii! Pachii! Pachirisu!" Pachirisu cheered, jumping up and down. He hadn't gotten to play in a while, so he was excited for the gym battle.

"So who's first?" Tori asked. "I mean two of you will battle today, probably, and one of you will battle tomorrow."

"Yea…I'll go first," Daniel said.

"Second!" Candace said, sticking her tongue out.

"Man!" Kyle shouted.

"Hey, it gives you a day to prep," Candace said. Kyle pouted.

"And if today goes as I expect it will, you'll be grateful for it," Daniel said, lacing on his boots.

"What do you mean?" Candace asked. "Do you think we'll have a tough time?"

"No, but Kyle should be prepared for anything," Daniel said. "Chrys rarely battles the same way twice. Once he sees what her Pokemon can do, he can at least prep a little for it."

They finished getting ready and left for the Gym. Arriving at the rather-plain looking building, they walked inside and were stunned to find that the Gym was very dark inside. It was lit only by a couple of lamps that came out of the ground and a lantern hanging from a large oak tree. There were flowers everywhere, and a few honey-slathered trees. A Dustox zipped past them towards the oak tree, buzzing their heads as he passed by. Roach was sitting in it and the Dustox landed on his shoulder. He waved, and promptly lost his balance and fell out of the tree. The group ran over to see if he was okay.

"I'm fine…I meant to do that!" He said. "Uh…Chrys is…not here…"

"WHAT?" They all said in unison.

"Don't worry," he began, "she said she'd be right back!"

"Okay," Kyle said, "when was that?"

Roach gave them a nervous grin. "Umm…six hours ago?" he said.

"Oh, great," Daniel said. "Maybe we should go look for her."

"Let me show you to the arena," Roach said quickly, and led them to a room with a dirt arena and one small set of bleachers. There were some stadium lights up above and Roach turned them on. Just then, a pink-haired girl walked in. She looked about fifteen. Her shoulder-length hair was down but two strands were in pony-tails sticking up on the top of her head, resembling antennae. She was wearing a black corset, dark blue skinny jeans, and black high heels. She had grey eyes and a great smile.

"Hiya!" she said. She seemed very bubbly.

"Hey Chrys!" Roach said. "These are the trainers that I was talking about!"

"Oh?" She said and paused a moment before continuing, "HEY! I KNOW YOU TWO!" She pointed at Candace with one hand and Tori with the other. "You two were in the contest! I saw it on TV, you were good! Congratz on the win, Candace! I can't wait to battle you…who's first?" Daniel stepped forward.

"I am," he said.

"Aww," she said, frowning and cocking her head, "I wanted to battle Candace or Tori." Roach slapped his forehead.

"Then why'd you ask?" Daniel asked, grinning. "And by the way, Tori isn't going to challenge any Gyms," he said. Chrys looked embarrassed and smiled awkwardly.

"I'm sorry," she said, "so I'll battle you first, uh…"

"Daniel," Kyle said.

"Daniel!" Chrys echoed. Then her face clouded. "Wait…you've been here before, haven't you?"

Daniel grinned. "Yeah. A few months back, I came and watched you beat the stuffing out of that kid's Sudowoodo."

"Oh yeah, I remember that kid!" She said, grinning as well. "Well then, Daniel, I accept your challenge!"

"I had a feeling you would," Daniel said dryly.

Candace, Kyle, Tori Eevee, and Mime Jr. sat down in the bleachers. Well, actually, Candace, Kyle, Tori and Mime Jr. sat down in the bleachers, and Eevee sat down on Candace. "Such a little princess," Candace said, rolling her eyes. Eevee nodded with a broad smile on her face.

Daniel and Chrys positioned themselves. "Roach, you ref!" she said excitedly.

"On it," he said. "This is a three-on-three battle, with substitutions allowed only for the challenger. Ready?" Both of them nodded. "Begin!" As he spoke, a clock began ticking on the side of the arena, timing the battle.

"Beautifly, I'll start with you!" Chrys cheered as she sent out a Beautifly. This Beautifly looked much bigger, stronger, and healthier than Tori's Beautifly.

"Skarmory," Daniel said, "let's go!" He threw Skarmory's steel-plated ball and Skarmory entered the field.

"Skahhh!" Skarmory chirped as he scratched at the dirt, leaving deep furrows behind.

"Oh NO!" Chrys shouted, but still smiling. "A Flying-type! Beautifly, use Silver Wind!" Chrys held up her arms like wings and flapped them. Beautifly shook a silvery powder at Skarmory. Candace, who was watching Chrys, turned to Kyle.

"What the hell is she doing?" she asked. Kyle shrugged.

"Skarmory, Gust!" Daniel ordered. Skarmory flapped one wing, looking almost bored, and the Silver Wind whirled back at Beautifly. It was hit and knocked back slightly. "Now use Peck," Daniel continued. Skarmory flew up, beak glowing, and zipped after Beautifly, who darted around, trying to avoid it. Skarmory caught up, however, and nailed Beautifly in the back, sending it crashing to the ground as Skarmory landed on top of it.

"Beautiii," it cried.

"Beautifly!" Chrys cried, no longer smiling.

"Keep it up, buddy. Use Fury Attack!" Daniel yelled. Skarmory pecked rapidly at Beautifly, who cried out in pain.

"Morning Sun!" Chrys ordered. Beautifly struggled free and flew up. Its whole body began to glow brightly and when the glow subsided, Beautifly looked refreshed.

"Use Gust again!" Daniel shouted.

"String Shot!" Chrys ordered quickly. Beautifly shot sticky silk at Skarmory. His wings and feet were stuck fast and he was immobilized.

"Take it down. Use Swift," Daniel said. Skarmory opened his beak and shot a series of yellow star-shaped discs at Beautifly, hitting it and knocking it to the ground.

"Beautifly is unable to battle," Roach announced with a sigh.

"Return," Chrys said, calling Beautifly back. "Dustox, it's your turn!" She threw out a Nest Ball and a Dustox popped out.

"Dustox!" It exclaimed happily.

"Dustox, use…use…" Chrys said, clueless.

Daniel smiled. "Skarmory, let's get you mobile again. Use Peck on that silk!" Skarmory pecked rapidly at the silk holding it down and was free within moments. "Make a move or I will," he warned.

"Umm…umm...Dustox, use Light Screen!" Dustox's antennae glowed, and a yellow wall appeared in front of it.

"Hm. Well, not much I can do aside from play along," Daniel said. "Skarmory, use Peck!" Skarmory zipped forward, its beak glowing.

"Dustox, use Protect!" Chrys shouted. A sphere appeared around Dustox and Skarmory skidded off its surface, shooting off to the right with an indignant squawk. "Now use Confusion!" Dustox's eyes glowed, and Skarmory zipped past them, obviously not flying under its own control, and slammed into the wall. Its eyes glowed red, and it began flying strangely, flapping across the room back and forth, bouncing off things.

"Skarmory! Calm down! Shake it off, just like we practiced!" Daniel shouted. Skarmory gradually calmed down, just as a Chrys ordered Dustox to use Psybeam. The attack caught him square in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

"Skarmory is unable to battle!" Roach cheered, but Daniel held up a hand.

"Wait," he said, staring at Skarmory. "We're not done yet." Everyone stood in mildly confused silence for a moment, until Skarmory shook itself and stood, screaming defiantly at Dustox. "Good boy. Now, give me everything you've got! Use Fury Attack!"

"Use Protect, Dustox!" Chrys shouted. Dustox's antennae glowed again, and a sphere began to form around it.

"Find a weak spot, Skarmory!" Daniel shouted. Skarmory zipped around, almost too fast to see, and nailed Dustox from behind, breaking the sphere and knocking it forward. Dustox was knocked back almost immediately as Skarmory hit it from the front. "Good! Now use Gust!" Daniel ordered. Skarmory slowed down in front of Dustox and flapped both wings, sending two bursts of wind directly into Dustox's face at point-blank range, knocking Dustox down and out.

"Dustox is unable to continue," Roach said, looking glum. Skarmory landed in front of Daniel, chirping victoriously.

"We're not done yet, buddy. If you want to call it a day, that's alright. But do you think you can continue? You're the best I've got for this job," Daniel said, scratching Skarmory under the jaw gently. Skarmory preened for a moment, before chirruping affirmatively and flapping back into position.

"Alright!" Chrys shouted, her voice cracking slightly. "Mothim! Let's go!" She tossed a Net Ball into the ring and a Mothim appeared, flapping its wings to stay aloft. "Mothim, use Air Slash!" A ball of wind gathered in front of Mothim's wing and it flung it at Skarmory.

"Dodge it," Daniel said, "and then use Gust." Skarmory zipped around the ball easily and fired a pair of gusts at Mothim, striking it from either side and knocking it around. "Now use Peck," Daniel continued, and Skarmory shot forward and struck Mothim in the head, knocking it head over heels.

"Mothim!" Chrys cried.

"Let's finish this," Daniel said, his face stony. "Skarmory, use Air Cutter!" Skarmory's wings glowed, and he fired several blue s-shaped discs of energy at Mothim. All but one hit, and the Mothim crashed to the ground, out cold.

"Mothim is unable to battle!" Roach said, dumbfounded. "Chrys…loses?"

Daniel nodded. "She put up a hell of a fight, but yeah, she lost."

"Yup!" Chrys said, her bubbly demeanor back in place. "I lost, fair and square! You did good, Daniel!" The two shook hands. "I hope you learned a lot from this battle! I know I did!" She pulled a Badge that was shaped like a Butterfree from the pocket of her jeans. "I'm proud to present you with the Buzz Badge," she said, handing it to him, "which puts you one Badge closer to the Pokemon League!" Daniel took it with a grin, examining it for a moment, and then stowing it inside his jacket.

"Thanks, Chrys," Daniel said, turning to Skarmory. "You did good, buddy." He retrieved a handful of Berries from his pocket and fed them to Skarmory. "Now have a rest, friend," Daniel said, returning Skarmory to his steel-plated ball.

"Where, by chance, did you get that?" Chrys asked, pointing at the ball. Daniel tossed it into the air and caught it.

"Oh, this?" he said casually. "It's actually a regular Great Ball, but Clark, the Gym Leader in Caymus City, coated it in steel for me. It still works, and isn't really much heavier than a regular Pokeball."

"Oh…okay!" Chrys said. "Well, who's next?"

Candace stepped forward. "I am!" she said, Eevee sitting by one of her heels and looking at Chrys' hair curiously, possibly wondering how the ponytails stayed rigid.

Daniel took a seat in the bleachers and Candace took her spot in the arena.

"The same rules apply as before," Roach announced, "and you may begin when you're ready."

"Okay," Candace said, grinning. Her grin faded shortly and she looked a little panicked. "Crap. I haven't really thought about this at all…who am I sending out first?" she thought to herself.

"Eee?" Eevee said looking up at her trainer.

"Hey, you seemed pretty restless this morning," Candace said as she reached for Pachirisu's ball and tossed it out. Pachirisu looked around excitedly when he came out.

"I think I'll start with Venomoth!" Chrys said, giggling. She threw out a regular Pokeball and a Venomoth popped out.

"Pachirisu, use Discharge!" Candace shouted.

"Dodge it and use Sunny Day!" Chrys cheered. Venomoth swooped below the Discharge and twirled back up.

"Sunny Day?" Kyle thought to himself. Just then, Venomoth's eyes began to glow white and beams where shot upwards, causing the arena to get very bright.

"Now fire a Solar Beam!" Chrys said.

"So that's what she was up to…" Tori observed.

"What?" Kyle said.

"With Sunny Day in effect, it won't take long at all for Solar Beam to charge," Daniel explained.

"Uh oh," Kyle said.

"Uh-oh is right," Daniel said. "This is going to be very painful."

Venomoth shot a large greenish white beam from its mouth and hit Pachirisu's whole body. He flew back into the wall.

"Pachirisu, are you ok?" Candace shouted. Pachirisu stumbled to his feet and nodded. "Alright then use Quick Attack!" she continued. He charged forward and jumped up, but Venomoth swerved out of the way and Pachirisu landed on his face.

"Keep using Solar Beam!" Chrys ordered.

"Keep dodging!" Candace yelled. Venomoth shot beam after beam and Pachirisu dodged them all.

"Make it sit still with a Stun Spore-Gust combo!" Chrys commanded. Venomoth flapped its wings, releasing an orange sparkling powder, and then flapped its wings even more rapidly to spread it out. Pachirisu couldn't avoid it and it showered over him. He became paralyzed and wouldn't be able to dodge as quickly anymore.

"Pachirisu's done for!" Kyle said. Tori and Daniel frowned.

"NOW try Solar Beam!" Chrys said, smiling. Venomoth shot a Solar Beam at Pachirisu and he began to glow.

"Wait a minute, Pachirisu doesn't evolve…" Tori thought to herself, "…then…it must be a move."

"What the…" Kyle said.

"It's Bide," Daniel said. "It doubles the damage it takes in…"

Chrys didn't seem to notice and had Venomoth keep firing at it. Finally Pachirisu raised his arms up slowly and then she noticed him glowing.

"Bye-bye, Venomoth," Daniel said.

"Venomoth, stop now!" she cried desperately, but it was too late.

"PACHIIIIII!" he cried as he released a huge amount of bright energy that engulfed Venomoth. Everyone shielded their eyes from the brightness and when it was over, Venomoth fell to the ground in defeat.

"Venomoth!" Roach called out. "Get up!"

"It's no use, Roach," Chrys said with a smile. "She's got me there…"

"Aww…" he said and hung his head. Chrys called her Pokemon back to its ball, nuzzled the Pokeball, and took out another.

"Butterfree!" she cheered. "I'm counting on you now!" She tossed out a Pokeball and a Butterfree popped out. It flapped its wings as if it hadn't been out to battle in a while.

"…I'm starting to see a pattern here," Kyle said.

"Well then what's her last Pokemon?" Tori asked then blushed a little. "I mean…there isn't any more moth or butterfly Pokemon…"

"It's her secret weapon," Daniel said. "I don't think she uses it very often either."

"Let's put those wings to good use!" Chrys cheered. "With Sleep Powder!"

Butterfree flapped its wings rapidly and a white, sparkling powder fell over Pachirisu. He struggled to keep his eyes open and then fell down. He lay on his stomach, tail straight up in the air, and snored.

"Pachirisu, return," Candace said, pointing his ball at him, "I'll wake you up if I need you…" She put the ball away and sent out a Growlithe.

"Oooh, another type advantage on your part! This is getting interesting," Chrys said, smiling.

"Growlithe, use Flamethrower!" Candace ordered. Growlithe shot a Flamethrower at Butterfree.

"Confusion!" Chrys cheered. Butterfree's eyes began to glow blue and the Flamethrower was outlined in blue as well. It stopped in its tracks, turned around, and came back down to hit Growlithe. It didn't hurt him too badly though.

"Butterfree is really fast and can dodge anything you throw at him," Roach began, "and if he can't, then he can use Confusion to fire it right back at your Pokemon. You don't stand a chance!

"Hush Roach!" Chrys said. "Butterfree, use Silver Wind!" Butterfree flapped his wings, releasing Silver Wind and it rapidly blew towards Growlithe.

"Flame Wheel!" Candace ordered. Growlithe somersaulted in place in a sphere of fire. The Silver Wind was unable to penetrate and instead swirled along with the fire.

"So pretty!" Chrys cooed, clasping her hands up by her face.

"Now hit Butterfree!" Candace continued. Growlithe bounced up and flew at Butterfree, who dodged it. Growlithe bounced off a wall and nailed Butterfree in the back with both his Flame Wheel and the Silver Wind that was swirling around him. Growlithe landed on all fours, but Butterfree landed on his stomach.

"WHAAAA?" Roach screamed.

"Finish it off with Take Down!" Candace ordered. Growlithe charged at Butterfree.

"Oh, we're gonna need more than that," Chrys said, smiling. "Butterfree, use Supersonic!" Butterfree released several high-pitched circles of energy from his antennae and Growlithe charged straight into them. Growlithe halted and his eyes were now red from Confusion.

"Growlithe, return," Candace said, returning him to his ball. "Eevee, let's go!" Eevee nodded and ran out into the arena.

"Use String Shot!" Chrys ordered. Butterfree shot a string of silk from his mouth towards Eevee.

"Dodge it!" Candace cried. Eevee jumped but couldn't manage to fully get away; her right back foot became stuck to the ground.

"Eee? VEE!" Eevee cried, attempting to tug her foot free.

"Now use Tackle," Chrys said. Butterfly swooped down and glided low towards Eevee.

"Shadow Ball!" Candace yelled. Eevee fired a Shadow Ball and it hit Butterfree in the face, sending him flying back, and canceling his move. Eevee nibbled at the silk but it was no use.

"Use Psybeam!" Chrys ordered. A rainbow colored beam shot from Butterfree's eyes and hit Eevee, causing her to be confused as well. Eevee shot Shadow Balls everywhere in confusion and struggled to break free.

"Eevee!" Candace cried. "Stop it!"

"Use Confusion on those Shadow Balls!" Chrys ordered. Butterfree stopped all of the Shadow Balls and sent them flying back at Eevee. There was a slight explosion and when the dust settled, Eevee was knocked out.

"How come the Shadow Balls hurt Eevee?" Kyle asked. "Shadow Ball is a Ghost-type move and Eevee is a Normal-type..."

"Well don't forget, it was Confusion that hit, not Shadow Ball," Daniel said.

"Oh..." Kyle said.

"Eevee!" Candace cried and ran to her side. She picked up Eevee, nuzzled her, and slipped her into the front of her hoodie.

"Growlithe, come on back out!" Candace said, as she sent Growlithe out. He came out and was no longer confused. Butterfree looked pretty tired so Candace figured she wouldn't be able to dodge as well, and she told Growlithe to use Flame Wheel.

"Confusion!" Chrys ordered.

"Flamethrower!" Candace added immediately.

"Huh?" Chrys said. Several beams of fire came out of the Flame Wheel in all different directions, and Butterfree wasn't able to pull off Confusion. The giant fiery object rammed into Butterfree and he fell to the ground, unable to battle. Growlithe came out of it and landed gracefully.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Roach screamed.

"It's okay!" Chrys said, cheerfully. "Come on back, you were great!" She called her Butterfree back and sent out another Pokeball. A Beedrill popped out of it, a very powerful looking Beedrill.

"Growlithe use Flamethrower!" Candace ordered. Growlithe shot a Flamethrower at Beedrill.

"Agility!" Chrys cheered. Beedrill zipped out of the way and flew about, getting faster and faster.

"Use Flame Wheel!" Candace yelled. Growlithe missed because Beedrill was too fast.

"Fury Attack!" Chrys commanded. Beedrill was above Growlithe instantly and jabbing him in the back with its sharp, pointy arms.

"Grooo!" Growlithe growled.

"Now use Poison Jab!" Chrys continued. The tip on one of Beedrill's arms glowed purple and it shoved it into Growlithe then buzzed away. Growlithe's nose turned red and he started to shiver.

"He's poisoned…" Tori said, frowning.

"Pin Missile!" Chrys shouted. Glowing, white spikes shot from the tips of Beedrill's arms.

"Flamethrower!" Candace yelled. Growlithe torched the pins and then promptly collapsed from the poison. He struggled to get back up and succeeded, but Candace called him back anyway.

"Pachirisu, for the love of God, wake up," she muttered as she sent out Pachirisu. He came out, curled into a ball, drooling, snoring, and blowing a snot bubble with his nose.

"This is looking pretty good, Chrys," Roach thought to himself.

"Pachirisu, wake up!" Candace growled.

"Beedrill, use Fury Attack," Chrys said, faking a yawn. Beedrill strolled over, head cocked slightly, and vigorously jabbed Pachirisu repeatedly in the backside.

"Pachirisu! Wake up!" Candace cried, desperately, as Chrys ordered Beedrill to keep attacking. Candace continued, "Yo! Fuzzball! Wake up! If you get to wake me up before I want to, I'm gonna wake you up too! …PACHIRISU, HELP, I'M DROWNING!...Your tail's on fire! Uh...DANIEL'S LEAVING...FOREVER!"

"Chi?" Pachirisu said, opening his eyes. He jumped up and looked at Daniel pleadingly.

"I was kidding!" Candace said. "But good. You're awake! Now use Super Fang!"

"Pachii..." he said, glaring at her, but then jumped on Beedrill and dug his glowing fangs into Beedrill's back.

"Shake it off!" Chrys shouted. Beedrill spun around and around and Pachirisu released, falling to the ground.

"Discharge," Candace ordered.

"Quick, use Poison Jab!" Chrys shouted. Before Pachirisu could attack Beedrill was right in front of him, ready to hit him.

"Run!" Candace yelled. Pachirisu quickly evaded the attack and Beedrill chased after him. They were both really fast and blurred as they moved around.

"Fury Attack!" Chrys commanded.

"Bide!" Candace shouted.

"Then forget the Fury Attack," Chrys managed to yell before Beedrill started to hit Pachirisu. "We're not falling for that."

"Quick Attack!" Candace ordered. Chrys told Beedrill to dodge and it did. Neither of them could manage to do any damage for the next ten minutes. They moved around at great speed, avoiding each other's attacks. Both Pokemon, however, looked like they were getting tired.

"This is getting a little suspenseful," Kyle observed.

"I'm going to have to think of some combos..." Candace thought to herself, "but is there a way to dodge and attack at the same time? If I tell Pachirisu to attack, it gives Beedrill enough time to counter it or dodge it...Oh, I know!" She ordered Pachirisu to use a combination of Quick Attack and Discharge, so Pachirisu sped up, not charging at Beedrill. His cheeks began to spark and he used Discharge. Beedrill tried to dodge but there was nowhere to go, and Pachirisu was moving too fast for Beedrill to even pinpoint where he was.

"Drill!" he cried.

"Use Discharge on the wall!" Candace commanded.

"...Why?" Roach asked. Candace didn't answer. Pachirisu fired a Discharge at the wall and it ricocheted off and came back at him.

"Now use Bide!" Candace said.

"Oh dear," Daniel said, grabbing Tori and Kyle by the collars, "UNDER THE BLEACHERS!"

"OH NO! BEEDRILL HIDE!" Chrys cried desperately. Beedrill looked at her like, "What, are you joking? WHERE?" The Discharge hit Pachirisu and he absorbed it. He then unleashed the energy and fried Beedrill.

"NO! CHRYS! YOU CAN'T LOSE TWICE IN ONE DAY!" Roach screamed.

"Oh will you relax?" Chrys replied, smiling happily. "That battle was fun! Besides, these are talented trainers, I expected to lose. I would have been disappointed if I didn't."

"You _expected_ to lose? CHRYS, THAT'S WHY YOU LOST THEN!" Roach scolded. She rolled her eyes, still smiling and called Beedrill back. Pachirisu collapsed from fatigue, so Candace called him back too. Chrys walked over and shook Candace's hand.

"Here's the Buzz Badge!" she said, handing Candace a badge. "It was a great battle and I can't wait to battle your brother tomorrow. Good luck in your upcoming contests! I'll be rooting for you!" She giggled, looked up at Tori, and continued, "And I'll be rooting for YOU too!"

Blushing, Tori replied, "T-thank you!"

"So I guess you guys are off to the Pokemon Center then?" Chrys asked. They nodded. "Then I'll go too!" she decided. They left the arena, Roach turned out the lights, and they locked up the gym on their way out.

Growlithe had to be sent to the emergency room to be cured of his poisoning. The other Pokemon who battled just needed to rest. While the Pokemon were healing, the trainers sat with Chrys and Roach at a table.

"This make three," Chrys said laughing.

"Huh?" Daniel asked.

"Three loses this week!" Chrys clarified. "I lost to a trainer with a Treecko a few days ago. He seemed like he was in a hurry so I didn't talk to him much...He didn't seem very polite..."

"He isn't," Candace said then paused before continuing, "So Chrys, did Roach tell you about my Combee?"

"Oh yeah, he did! I'd be glad to take care of her for you. We've never had a Combee at the gym before!" Chrys said happily and continued, "May I see her?"

"Well…" Candace trailed off, noticing that the door leading to Eevee's room was open.

"Nurse Joy, can you send Beedrill out?" Chrys shouted. Beedrill buzzed into the room through the open door.

"Whoa, fast healer," Daniel noted.

"BEEDRILL!" she cheered and hugged it. She continued, "Don't worry, Beedrill here won't let them fight."

"Okay then," Candace said, "Combee, come on out!" She sent Combee out and Combee noticed Beedrill right away.

"BEE!" she squealed and zipped over to it, and brushed up against it affectionately.

"Aw! She's in love!" Chrys said, clasping her hands by her face.

"Did you know she was going to fall in love with him?" Roach asked.

"Nah," she said. Beedrill seemed confused and it was obvious that he wasn't enjoying the attention, but he didn't want to hurt her feelings by pushing her away.

"Bee…" he buzzed, looking at his trainer pleadingly. Chrys grabbed Combee and stroked her. Combee was overjoyed and didn't even notice Eevee had walked into the room.

"Feeling better?" Candace asked. Eevee climbed up the bottom of Candace's hoodie, popped out of the collar area, and yawned sleepily. Candace stroked her head and Eevee made happy noises. Combee was still too infatuated with Beedrill to notice.

"Combee," Candace began, "how would you like to stay with Chrys and Beedrill?"

"Bee! Bee!" Combee cheered. Roach smiled.

"Well then, looks like she's staying with you," Candace concluded.

"Great!" Chrys exclaimed. "I'll train her well too."

"Alright! Everyone's Pokemon are good to go," Nurse Joy announced.

"Chansey!" Nurse Joy's Chansey said, walking in with a cart of Pokeballs. The trainers and gym leader took their Pokemon and left.

"See you tomorrow, Chrys!" Kyle said.

"Hm? Where are you three off to?" Chrys asked.

"I'm off to train!" Kyle said.

"That's the spirit!" Chrys giggled. She put Combee into her ball, said goodbye and left with Roach.

On their way to the Park, the trainers passed by the Game Corner. Daniel stopped to examine it, so the others did too.

"I guess we could play a little first," Kyle said.

"Nuh-uh," Candace said, "the sign says sixteen years of age and up only. Sorry kiddies."

"Aw man!" Kyle whined. Candace and Daniel entered the building, so Tori and Kyle continued to the park.

"Battle me, Tori," Kyle challenged, "with Beautifly!"

"Uhm…" Tori said, blushing.

"Come on!" Kyle cheered. He sent out Teddiursa, so Tori sent out Beautifly and they practiced for several hours, not really trying to defeat each other. They were just practicing dodging, pulling off moves, and coming up with strategies. Teddiursa learned a lot and was ready for his first battle by the end of their practice.

Meanwhile, Candace and Daniel were in the game corner. Candace didn't really play at first; she just watched Daniel because she didn't have much money to be gambling away. Eevee was sniffing around and eventually found a coin which she gave to her trainer and Candace decided to put it into one of the machines and pulled the lever…Jackpot…Jackpot…Jackpot. Eevee ran for cover as coins began flying out of the machine and Candace stared blankly.

"Uh…Daniel? I broke it…" she said two minutes later when it was still spewing out coins. He walked over and laughed. Someone gave her a Coin Case and she loaded it up with her winnings. She took them to the prize counter and the lady told her what kinds of things she could get with her coins: dolls, supplies, actual Pokemon, and evolutionary stones, among other things. They varied in price of coins.

"Oh and there's one more thing," the woman said and placed a box on the table. She continued, "You can have whatever is in this box for the amount of coins that you won, but it might be a good prize or a bad prize. It's a gamble."

Candace thought for a minute and decided on the mystery box. She exchanged all the coins for it and opened it. Inside there were three of each of the following: Water Stones, Fire Stones, Thunderstones, Leaf Stones, Moon Stones, Sun Stones, Dusk Stones, Dawn Stones, Shiny Stones, Oval Stones, and Everstones. Candace gasped and thanked the woman.

"Wow…" Daniel said, staring at the box, "Is it just me, or are you insanely lucky? With these you can get ALL of the Pokemon that evolve by being exposed to evolutionary stones." He stared at the case. "ALL of them."

After packing away the stones, Daniel and Candace went to the park in time to find that Tori and Kyle had just finished practicing, so they all walked back to the hotel, had a big dinner, talked for a while, and went to bed early.

The next morning, they woke up late and had to really hustle over to the Neon City gym.

"Welcome back," Chrys greeted.

"Glad to be back," Candace replied, smiling. They all walked to the arena where Candace, Eevee, Tori, and Daniel took a seat in the bleachers while Kyle and Chrys took their position in the arena. Roach explained the rules again briefly and the battle began.

"Dustox, go!" Chrys cheered. Dustox popped out and flapped its wings powerfully.

"Teddiursa, I'm counting on you!" Kyle cheered. He sent Teddiursa out and Teddiursa looked a little scared.

"It's his first official battle," Tori said. "When Kyle and I practiced the other day...it wasn't really a battle...it was just practice..."

"I see..." Candace said.

"It's okay, Teddiursa," Kyle said, bending down and patting him on the head.

"Teddi!" Teddiursa cried, hugging his trainer. He had never really fought before, not even in the wild. All the experience he had was from the practice session with Tori the day before.

"You can do it!" Kyle said and stood back up.

"Aww, you shouldn't be bringing babies in here," Chrys said sadly. "I don't want to hurt it..."

"You won't put a scratch on him!" Kyle said. "Teddiursa, use Fury Swipes!"

Teddiursa ran forward and jumped up. He slashed rapidly at Dustox several times.

"Dustox, use Protect!" Chrys ordered. Dustox became surrounded in a sphere of blue and Teddiursa's swipes could no longer hit. He just fell back down and landed on all fours, growling.

"Now use Double Team!" Kyle said. Teddiursa multiplied into many Teddiursa and stood, ready to attack.

"Use Whirlwind!" Chrys cheered. Dustox flapped its wings and powerful gusts of wind blew all of the Teddiursa away, destroying the fakes and sending the real one flying into a wall. The Whirlwind also managed, however, to knock up a cloud of dust which Kyle knew he could take advantage of.

"Use Faint Attack!" he shouted. Teddiursa disappeared into the cloud of dust and Dustox searched frantically for him. He popped up from the dust behind and above Dustox and kicked it before landed back on the ground as the dust cleared.

"Use Confusion!" Chrys ordered. Dustox used Confusion to pick up and slam Teddiursa against a wall. She then ordered it to use Psybeam and Teddiursa was hit with a powerful rainbow beam as well. She continued to tell Dustox to use these two attacks and Teddiursa took a serious beating.

"Teddiursa use Rest!" Kyle ordered. Teddiursa yawned sleepily, sat down, and closed his eyes. As a light blue aura shrouded his body, his wounds healed quickly and he appeared to have not taken any damage whatsoever. The aura faded and he was still asleep.

"There's no use in using that," Chrys said but squealed over the cuteness of Teddiursa. Then she continued, "Use Poison Sting!"

Dustox fired poisonous needles at the sleeping Teddiursa. Kyle smiled.

"Teddiursa, use Snore!" he ordered. Teddiursa opened his mouth and snored. Extremely loud sound waves emitted from his mouth and stopped the needles short. The sound waves continued to move forward and hit Dustox's antennae. Dustox shook its head rapidly, trying to shake off the loud sound, but Teddiursa was still snoring and it wouldn't stop. Dustox couldn't take it anymore and fell to the ground, twitching. Roach sighed and announced that Dustox couldn't go on. Teddiursa opened its eyes and yawned sleepily before standing up and giving Chrys a fierce glance.

"That's okay," Chrys began as she returned Dustox to its ball, "you did just fine!" She put the ball away, took out another one and continued, "Mothim, you're up!"

"Motha!" Mothim screeched when it came out.

"Mothim, use Poison Powder!" she ordered. Kyle told Teddiursa to dodge but it was no use. The purple powder rained down over him from Mothim's powerful wings. Teddiursa's nose turned red from the poison and he looked a little dizzy. Kyle was about to give a command but at that moment, had a flashback:

_"Kyle, as a trainer, it's our job to judge a situation and do whatever it takes to keep our Pokemon safe. We can't let them get hurt if we can prevent it. All that would happen if we kept going is Growlithe getting hurt...so I'm done. I'm not going to let that happen," Candace explained._

_Tori smiled. Kyle looked to the ground in silence and then said, "You're right..."_

_Daniel nodded, a small smile on his face, "Very smart."_

_"What do you mean by that?" Candace snarled at him._

_"If you know you're not going to win, do your best, but if you're just getting hurt, don't stick around and let yourself get blasted. Like you said, part of being a trainer is judging the situation, but it's also about knowing your limits. You did good, but I doubt your Growlithe can continue much longer. He needs to be checked out after that hit," Daniel said._

"Teddiursa, that's enough," he said and returned Teddiursa to his ball, not noticing Daniel smiling. "You ready? Pikachu?" he continued as he threw out Pikachu's ball. Pikachu popped out and looked forward as if to say, "You bet I am!"

"Use Psybeam!" Chrys cheered.

"Dodge it and use Thunderbolt!" Kyle ordered. Pikachu zipped out of the rainbow beam's path and discharged a large amount of electricity which caused massive damage to Mothim. Chrys told Mothim to use Air Slash, so Mothim flapped its wings and formed a ball of wind in front of it, which it sent flying at Pikachu. Kyle told Pikachu to use Iron Tail, so Pikachu sliced the ball in two with his tail, and each half went to opposite sides of him, failing to hit. Kyle then told Pikachu to use Quick Attack then Thunderbolt, so Pikachu zipped forward, jumped up, nailed the underside of Mothim and slid up Mothim's body so that he was up above it before using Thunderbolt again and completely frying Mothim this time.

Chrys gasped. She had never seen Mothim go down so easily before. People seldom came in with Electric Pokemon and Mothim hadn't gotten much practice battling with one and therefore didn't build up any tolerance to an Electric attack. Chrys realized that she was going to have a tough time with this battle. She called Mothim back even though Roach didn't make the call. He was a bit stunned too.

"Venomoth, you're my last hope!" she said and sent out her Venomoth.

"Venomoth? What about Beedrill?" Kyle asked.

"Ha! Like I want you to be able to estimate what I do…" she said sarcastically then giggled wildly.

Kyle told Pikachu to use Thunderbolt, so she ordered Venomoth to use Protect. They continued this song and dance and the battle got pretty boring. Chrys refused to let another Electric attack hit. Truth be told, she would have used Beedrill but he was in another room, entertaining Candace's Combee. The Combee had a tantrum that morning and she decided to calm it down by letting Beedrill give her a tour of the Gym. She wished she hadn't done that now; his speed would be able to avoid Thunderbolt very well. She smacked her forehead.

"DUH! I totally forgot!" she thought to herself and then started giggling obnoxiously. Everyone cocked their head.

"Disable…" she said, smiling. Pikachu had just fired a Thunderbolt and Venomoth's eyes glowed blue. The move stopped and disintegrated. Pikachu's whole body became outlined in blue and rendered him unable to move. Chrys used that time to have Venomoth use Zen Headbutt. It made Pikachu flinch so she told it to use Zen Headbutt again. After the second hit, Kyle asked Pikachu if he could move. Pikachu nodded but still wouldn't be able to use Thunderbolt for a while.

"This is bad…" Kyle thought to himself. He told Pikachu to use Iron Tail, but Venomoth dodged it easily. Kyle kept trying but it was no use. He tried Quick Attack too, but Venomoth was still able to dodge.

"Use Psychic," Chrys ordered.

Psychic is very similar to Confusion, it does the same thing but it's much more powerful. Venomoth used Psychic to slam Pikachu all around: wall to wall and floor to ceiling, over and over and over again. When it was done, Pikachu could barely stand.

"Now what…" Kyle thought to himself. "There's absolutely nothing…wait…there's that…Yeah, I'll try that!"

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack to get _on top of_ Venomoth!" Kyle ordered. Pikachu charged forward.

"What good will that do?" Chrys thought to herself. "Even if he does manage to hop onto Venomoth's back…he can't use Thunderbolt…and he would need to hop up and get some momentum to use Iron Tail or Quick Attack so Venomoth could just dodge it…We've so got this!"

Pikachu leaped up but Venomoth dodged. Pikachu zipped right passed Venomoth, flipped, used a wall to push off and flew back, landing on top of Venomoth.

"Veh!" Venomoth gasped.

"Now use Sweet Kiss!" Kyle ordered. Pikachu planted a kiss on Venomoth's forehead and jumped off. Venomoth became confused.

"It's all over now!" Kyle said happily.

"Oh no! Snap out of it!" Chrys pleaded but it was no use. Venomoth thrashed around, hurting itself. It also fired random Psybeams everywhere, destroying the arena and sending everyone running for their lives. Chrys called the Pokemon back before anyone got hurt and forfeited. Kyle cheered. She handed him the Buzz Badge and congratulated him with a warm smile and handshake.

"Thank you so much!" he said.

"You've earned it!" she replied, laughing. The trainers said their goodbyes and left the Neon City Gym, proudly and headed to the Pokemon Center where they spent an hour or two waiting for Kyle's Pokemon to rest. While they were there, Candace and Kyle decided to check in with their mother. They walked over to the phone and called her. Her face appeared on the screen and she smiled happily.

"I was beginning to think that I'd never hear from you two again…" she said.

"Sorry, mom, we've been busy…" Candace said.

"I'll bet," their mom said. Candace held up her Neon Ribbon and smiled.

"Yes, I saw your contest on TV. I'm so proud of you!" their mom said. "And have you or Kyle gotten any Gym Badges?"

"YES!" Kyle said excitedly and showed his mother the three gym badges he'd earned. Candace did the same.

"Oh excellent! I heard that a boy who received a Pokemon from Professor Maple just got his fourth badge! And is on his way to get the fifth!" their mom mentioned. Kyle looked angry and she apologized. She noticed Daniel and Tori and asked about them.

"Oh! This is Daniel," Kyle said, pointing to Daniel. Then he pointed to Tori and said, "And this is Tori!"

"They're traveling with us!" Candace said.

"Well I'm so glad you're making new friends," their mother began, "Speaking of friends…what kinds of Pokemon have you caught?"

"I'll show you!" Kyle said. Both Candace and Kyle sent out all their Pokemon, but Kyle had to call Teddiursa and Pikachu into the room, and their mom complimented them.

"We're going to the amusement park today!" Kyle said all of a sudden.

"Oh? So you're in Neon still, well I better let you go then," their mother said. They said goodbye and hung up.

The four trainers spent the rest of the day at the Neon City amusement park. They rode every single ride about three times each and played all sorts of fun games. They entered a raffle for a Squirtle egg, but a little girl named Tina won. The trainers were happy for her because when it hatched, she could become a trainer too. There was a Pokemon race too, and although Pachirisu finished first, he and Candace did not receive a prize because he never stopped when he made it to the finish line; he just kept running and disappeared somewhere so they were disqualified. Kyle's Pikachu and Daniel's Skarmory tied for first place, so they split the prize money. They had a lot of fun and were pretty worn out by the end of the day.

They spent their last night in Neon City sitting on the balcony of their hotel room with their Pokemon, looking over the city and talking/laughing. They would be checking out of the hotel in the morning and heading to Aggrestic City.

Daniel toed off his boots and leaned back in his chair, his eyes closed. "Kyle, you did great today."

"You really think so?" Kyle asked. "I only won because Chrys forfeited."

"Pfft," Daniel said. "A win is a win. I was talking about you calling back Teddiursa. You're learning, kid. And that move with Sweet Kiss? Brilliant. I don't think that I would have thought of that in your position."

Kyle shrugged. "It was all I could think of. At the time, it seemed kind of stupid."

"If it's stupid and it works, it ain't stupid," Daniel shot back. "Candace, I forgot to say this yesterday, but you did great too. Especially that move with Pachirisu, where he just pretty much annihilated the field…and gave us all socket hair in the process." He missed Candace sticking her tongue out at him. "Anyway…" He continued, getting up and grabbing his boots, "Bedtime, everyone. We need to get an early start to Aggrestic City. I have a nasty feeling that we're going to run into _something_ on the way there."

"What would give you that idea?" Candace said, feigning innocence.

Daniel stopped at the doorway and turned around. "I never had problems until I met you three knuckleheads." Crossing his eyes and blowing a raspberry at them, he went inside, leaving the other three laughing on the balcony.

~_~_~  
Author Notes:

Read and review please. Chrys is short for chrysanthemum, which is a type of flower. We gave the gym leader this name because she has butterfly Pokemon and we thought it was fitting.


	14. CH 14 To Aggrestic City!

**Chapter 14: To Aggrestic City!**

"TO AGGRESTIC CITY!" Kyle announced the next morning after they were all packed up and ready to hit the road.

"Why so excited, Kyle?" Candace asked.

"I'm ready for my fourth gym badge!" Kyle said enthusiastically.

"...There's no Gym in that city," Daniel said. Kyle looked crushed.

"Then why are we going?" he complained.

"Sight seeing...exercising...training...general hell-raising…you know," Candace said.

"Not to mention it's the only way to get to Cava Town at the moment," Daniel added and took out a map. He pointed to Hugel city and continued, "Normally, you can get to Cava by traveling west from Hugel City, but remember? Angel said that route was closed. We have no idea if it's still closed or not and we'd have to go all the way to Hugel to find out. And if it is closed, then we wait for God knows how long or come all the way back to Aggrestic."

"I don't understand how you can get from Aggrestic to Cava, though," Kyle said. "They seem so far apart."

"Well there's an underground tunnel connecting the two," Daniel said.

"WHOA!" Kyle said. Just then, Tori rushed out of the Pokemon Center they were standing in front of, and she looked pretty excited.

"Guess what!" she said.

"What?" Kyle asked and she blushed.

"There's umm...going to be a contest in Aggrestic City in about a week," she said. "Nurse Joy told me."

"Awesome," Candace said. "We better get going then." Eevee nodded in agreement and then suddenly stuck her nose up into the air.

"Ee ee!" she said.

"What's up, Eevee?" Candace asked. Eevee jumped out of Candace's arms and ran east. The trainers shrugged and chased after her with Mime Jr. trailing behind.

"Hey Eevee, slow down! Don't you dare go Pachirisu on us!" Candace shouted. They eventually reached an embankment and saw a massive, fast flowing river. Eevee was sitting close to the edge, staring down the riber and she looked very concerned. An old man was sitting at a picnic bench watching them. Eevee dived into the river.

"EEVEE!" Candace screamed.

"VUI!" Eevee cried as she was taken away with the current. She realized instantly that jumping in was a mistake.

"Oh you're never going to get her back now," the old man said to them."That there river is going to kill her. Only massive water Pokemon can fight that current." Candace ignored him and ran southeast, in the direction Eevee was washed down.

"Eevee!" she called.

"She was probably chasing that blue thing that washed down a few minutes ago. The poor thing was wounded and on the verge of drowning, I'd say," the old man continued. The others paid no attention to him either and ran after Candace. They caught up to her and saw that Eevee was merely a dot in the distance. They weren't on any route, and there was a forest to their right, but they continued down the embankment so there weren't any trees in their way. There was just sand-very soft sand that was hard to run in.

"Pachirisu, come on out!" Candace shouted as she was running. She sent out Pachirisu and he ran along with them happily. "No, it's not happy time," she snapped. "Kyle, I think Mime Jr. should ride Pachirisu and when they get close enough, use Confusion to get her out."

"Good idea," Kyle said. "Mime Jr. do what Candace said!" Mime Jr. nodded and hopped onto Pachirisu. The sand and Mime Jr.'s weight hindered Pachirisu's speed and he couldn't move much faster than they were already going.

"Great," Candace said.

"Now what?" Kyle asked.

"Skarmory, let's go!" Daniel said and sent out Skarmory. "Get Eevee," he said. Tori sent out Beautifly and had her fly after Eevee too. They flew quickly down the river and caught up to Eevee after a few minutes. Skarmory swooped down and tried to grab Eevee with his talons, but the current was too fast. Beautifly used String Shot, thinking it would pull Eevee out. Unfortunately it pulled her down to the water too. Beautifly skidded across the surface as Eevee and the current pulled her by her String Shot. Skarmory flew up ahead a little and swooped down again, managing to snatch Eevee up this time. Beautifly was pulled out of the water along with her, and Skarmory flew them to the bank where they all caught their breath. They heard a weak cry and looked over, noticing the blue Pokemon that the man was talking about.

It was a beached Lapras who had come from the ocean. She had gotten separated from her family and was attacked by a Sharpedo. He had chased her to the river head and she got caught in the current which washed her away. The Sharpedo was smart enough to not follow her down the river. Eevee had sensed something was wrong so that's why she ran off. She got to the bank in time to see a small glimpse of the baby Lapras being helplessly washed down the river. When the trainers got to the bank, Lapras was out of sight completely. Eevee wanted to rescue the poor thing, not realizing just how fast and powerful the current was. Luckily, Lapras managed to get close to the bank they were on now and she used all her energy to leap onto it. Now she was sitting there, too weak to move.

"Hey look!" Kyle shouted. They saw the Pokemon in the distance.

"Eevee!" Candace sobbed and started running but was too tired and slowed to catch her breath. Her attitude changed immediately. She looked pissed and said, "OH WHEN I GET THERE, SHE IS IN _BIG_ TROUBLE!"

"What's…there with them?" Tori asked, noticing Lapras' figure. They were too far away to tell what it was.

Eevee, Beautifly, and Skarmory rushed to Lapras' side to see if there was anything they could do. Eevee noticed the trainers in the distance. They were walking and wouldn't be there for another twenty to thirty minutes, but Eevee and the other two Pokemon didn't want to abandon the Lapras so they didn't rush over to meet up with the trainers.

When the trainers finally got to them, Candace ran to Eevee and shook her violently.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED!" she scolded and continued to shake and scold Eevee, not even noticing the injured Lapras. Tori rushed over to the Lapras and stroked her. Lapras nuzzled her and looked into Tori's eyes sadly, as if she were begging for Tori's help. Tori took out some medicine and tended to Lapras' wounds.

"It's a long ways from the ocean," Daniel began, "so we either leave her here, take her with us, or dump her back into the river and hope she makes it back to the ocean unharmed. Transporting her back to the ocean seems pretty much impossible at this point. We have no ship, no containment unit, and no time. We have a contest to get to, don't we? Besides, who knows where her family is and if she'd even be able to find them if we took her back? She looks much too young to fend for herself."

"Lapras…do you want to come with us?" Tori asked.

"Laaaah," Lapras sang, nodding her head happily. Tori took out a Heal Ball and tapped Lapras' forehead with it. Lapras went into the ball and was successfully caught.

They decided to rest on the bank before going into the forest to find the road. They let all of their Pokemon out to explore, but warned them about the river. Lapras stayed with Tori and looked completely better from Tori's doctoring and the Heal Ball that she was caught in. Candace took the egg out from her bag, took it out of the case, and held it in her lap.

"When is it going to hatch?" she wondered to herself. "It seems like forever since I caught my last Pokemon…Pachirisu…because Combee doesn't count…I never got to bond with her…" She felt a pulse and gasped. It wasn't ready to hatch yet, but was getting closer.

"Tori," Kyle began, "how do you battle with a Lapras when there's no water around?"

"…You don't…even when there's water around," she said.

"But…" he trailed off.

"Well she could battle sitting still, and definitely in the water, but…most, if not all, Lapras hate fighting…They're very peaceful and would rather transport people over water and such," Tori explained. Kyle nodded.

After a little while, they got up and headed southeast, in search of the road. They of course returned all the Pokemon and Candace put the egg away. Eevee sat on Candace's head and Mime Jr. sat on Kyle's head. They began walking and walked for quite some time before they started to hear noises in the distance. The noises got louder as they got closer and eventually became full on shouting, and as they got even closer, they could hear what was being said even more clearly.

"Get back here, you thieving little runt!" someone screamed. An Aipom scurried passed the trainers and bounced up into a tree, holding something. Katya emerged from the bushes along with Chucky.

"I'm sorry!" he said. "Aipom has never acted this way before."

"Save it," she said. She saw the other trainers and shouted, "Don't just stand there! Help me get my purse back!" They just stared at her.

"Maybe Chikorita's Vine Whip…" Chucky trailed off.

"Excellent idea, tubby," Katya said. "Chikorita, let's go!" She sent out a Chikorita and told it to use Vine Whip.

"You have a Chikorita now?" Candace asked. "So does Chucky."

"We traded actually," Chucky said. "My Chikorita for her Torchic."

"How could you?" Candace yelled.

"Excuse me?" Chucky said, startled.

"Not you! Katya!" Candace said. "How could you just trade away your first Pokemon?"

"Chucky showed me a picture of Torchic's second stage…Have _you_ ever seen a Combusken before? UGLY! Something like _that_ would cramp my style." She grabbed her purse from Chikorita's vines and stroked Chikorita, continuing, "But this cutie is perfect for me!" Aipom hopped down from the tree and jumped onto Chucky's shoulder.

"Whatever. So are you heading to Aggrestic?" Candace asked.

"Hell no!" Katya said.

"Really? Why not?" Candace asked.

"Aww, how cute, I have a fan…but I'm actually not competing in that contest; There's a Staraptor farm up ahead and my aunt owns it, so she's lending me a ride. I'm following Duke to his next contest and competing there," Katya explained.

"Stalker much?" Candace said, rolling her eyes.

"YOU'RE JUST JEALOUS BECAUSE YOU HAVE ZERO CHANCE WITH DUKE! Duke and I are practically an item! Besides, I'd rather not stick around and compete with the likes of you…" Katya insulted.

"Yeah, you're that afraid of me, huh?" Candace said, smiling.

"No, I just don't want to have to look at your ugly face!" Katya snapped. And thus, the battle began. The two girls were immediately in each other's faces, screaming at each other. Daniel grabbed Candace, Chucky grabbed Katya and they took the girls away from each other, kicking and screaming.

"HOW FAR ARE WE FROM THE ROAD?" Daniel yelled over the girls.

"YOU'RE REALLY CLOSE!" Chucky yelled back.

"GREAT! THANKS!" Daniel shouted.

"DON'T MENTION IT!" Chucky shouted back. Daniel waited for Chucky and Katya to get a head start before letting go of Candace.

"Can't you behave?" he asked.

"Nope," Candace replied, snobbishly. "Let's go." She walked forward and the others followed. They were on the road within ten minutes.

"Chucky had an Aipom this time," Kyle brought up. "Last time, he had six Pokemon and none of them were an Aipom."

"He's probably caught a whole lot of Pokemon by now and switches around every so often," Candace suggested.

"So…is he one of those idiots who actually think they can catch every single kind of Pokemon there is and complete their Dex, no matter how impractical that is?" Daniel asked.

"Yup!" Candace replied. "And he's not into anything else, as far as I know."

There was a building up ahead, off the side of the road which Katya walked into, but Chucky kept heading towards Aggrestic. The building had a large, walk in cage behind it.

"The Staraptor Farm…" Kyle said quietly.

"Let's check it out…" Candace said.

"Why?" Daniel asked.

"To figure out what it's for," Candace replied. It took a little over five minutes to get there, and in that time Katya took off on a Staraptor, heading east.

"Good," Candace said. "Now we won't have to deal with her."

"Welcome!" a woman said when they walked in. She looked like an adult version of Katya, but much more pleasant and welcoming.

"Hi…what is this place?" Candace asked, looking around. The room was set up like a store. There was a cash register at the woman's desk and shelves filled with all sorts of pillows, Pokemon beds, dream catchers, and other small trinkets with feathers.

"At this farm, we raise Staraptor and harvest their feathers to make merchandise. Don't worry, it doesn't hurt them and the Staraptor are very happy here," the woman explained.

"Staraptor have black, white, and red feathers, though," Tori said. "Why do some of the dream catchers and stuff have…brown and blue feathers?"

The woman motioned for them to come and they walked behind the counter with her, and then followed her out the door behind her. It took them outside and they saw a huge Staraptor cage before them. It was rectangular with several rows of barbed wire strung along near the top. It was probably the size of a football stadium and as high as a three-story building.

"Oh, you can call me Sheila, by the way," the keeper said as she unlocked the cage. The trainers introduced themselves.

"Are you Katya's aunt?" Candace asked.

"I sure am," she said and they followed her into the cage. It was a cool inside so there was an air conditioner somewhere and it was lit up by the daylight which shined in. There were tall, sturdy trees and shelves with large nests. Some nests were empty, but many of them had Staraptor roosting in them. There were large gaps between the bars of the ceiling, so the Staraptor could get out to stretch their wings and exercise, or escape in case of an emergency. The barbed wire and locked doors prevented bandits from getting in and stealing the Staraptor and/or their eggs. There was a large, brown feather on the ground which Tori picked up.

"It's beautiful…where did it come from?" she asked.

"Thank you! You can keep it if you'd like. Val gives me plenty," Sheila said.

"Val?" Tori asked. Sheila whistled and a Staraptor flew down from the highest tree and landed next to its trainer. Rather than black and white with a red tip on the feathers that went over his face, like ordinary Staraptor, this one had brown in place of the black and light pastille blue in place of the red.

"He's gorgeous!" Candace said. Kyle, Tori, and Candace petted him. His feathers were very soft and smooth.

"Thank you!" Sheila said.

"Why is he this color?" Kyle asked. "Did you dye him or bleach him or paint him or something?"

"No, no! Sometimes you can find Pokemon that are colored differently than normal. It might be a mutation of some kind, but I'm not really sure. It's just another Pokemon mystery that has yet to be solved," Sheila explained.

"Does he fight?" Daniel asked.

"Sure he does! He's pretty strong too," Sheila said.

"Can I battle him?" Kyle asked.

"Hey that's not fair," Candace said.

"Yeah, I brought it up," Daniel muttered.

"How about a double battle?" Sheila suggested. "Girls versus boys!"

"I'll ref," Tori said. They all went outside and positioned themselves.

"Pachirisu, come on out!" Candace said as she sent out her hyper-active squirrel.

"Totodile, let's go!" Daniel said, sending out Totodile, who came out the right way for once. "Well, I guess miracles do happen," he mumbled.

"Phanpy, I choose you!" Kyle said. Phanpy came out and trumpeted.

"Fly up!" Sheila ordered and Val flew up high.

"Discharge!" Candace ordered. Kyle quickly told Phanpy to use Dig, so Phanpy dug down to avoid the Discharge that Pachirisu fired, not that it would have hurt him anyway. Just before the Discharge hit Totodile, however, Phanpy dug up right below him, causing Totodile to fall into the hole and avoid Discharge as well.

"Rollout!" Kyle commanded. Phanpy popped out of the ground, flipping, and nailed Pachirisu. Daniel told Totodile to use Water Gun and an explosion of water shot out of the ground, hitting Pachirisu as well.

"Val, use Brave Bird!" Sheila ordered. Blue energy surrounded Val and he dived down. Totodile ran out of the way, but Phanpy was hit hard.

"Phanpy!" Kyle cried. Val swerved around and flew back to his spot in front of Sheila.

"Totodile, use Ice Fang!" Daniel ordered. Ice beams shot from Totodile's fangs towards Val.

"Dodge it!" Sheila ordered. Val flew up out of the way.

"Quick Attack!" Candace ordered. Pachirisu charged at Phanpy and Kyle ordered him to use Take Down so the two collided, but Pachirisu was hit harder. Candace whispered something to Sheila then ordered Pachirisu to use Bide. Sheila told Val to fly up and use Brave Bird again. Daniel told Totodile to use Water Gun because he knew what they were planning, but Val flew up quickly and avoided it.

"Staarhh!" Val squawked and came down, using Brave Bird on Pachirisu, then flew back up to avoid the explosion. Pachirisu unleashed the energy and blasted Phanpy and Totodile away. Totodile managed to get back up, but Phanpy couldn't. Pachirisu was lying unconscious on the ground when the flash ceased, so Tori announced that the two were unable to battle.

"Aww man…" Candace said. "Guess that wasn't so smart after all…"

"Well then," Sheila began, "it looks like it's just you and me then, Daniel."

"Looks that way," Daniel said with a smile.

"Val, use Quick Attack!" she ordered.

"Water Gun!" Daniel yelled. Totodile shot a Water Gun at Val.

"Full speed ahead!" she said. "And put a spin on it!" Val charged into the Water Gun, head on, but rotating on his side. Some of the water gathered around him and he hit Totodile with Quick Attack and Totodile's own Water Gun. Daniel made several more attempts to hit Val, but Val just flew out of the way.

"I've got to get Totodile in the air," Daniel thought to himself. "How else can he hit Val…I've got it."

"Totodile, use Water Gun on the ground!" he ordered. Totodile obeyed and it caused him to shoot up in the air. His eyes widened when he saw how high up he was then he started kicking his feet in celebration. Daniel quickly told him to use Ice Fang but latch onto Val with Bite first so that Val can't dodge it.

Totodile landed on Val's back and chomped down on his neck. His fangs became icy and he blasted Val down to the ground. The two of them hit the hard-packed ground with a loud crunch, knocking up a cloud of dust. When it cleared, both were lying in a heap on the ground.

"Whoa…" Tori said, coughing slightly. "It knocked them…both…out…?"

"Not quite," Daniel said as Totodile stirred. "C'mon, you can do it," he urged. The Water-type stood, weaving slightly, and toddled over to Daniel, who picked him up and said, "You did great buddy," and fed him a Berry.

"Well then," Tori began, "Val is unable to battle…Daniel wins!"

"Hee hee, we're a little rusty," Sheila said.

"Oh, I'm sure that's what it is," Candace said, half-joking. Sheila laughed.

"We better get going pretty soon," Tori said quietly.

"So you're headed to Aggrestic, correct?" Sheila asked.

"Yea," Daniel said. Sheila smiled awkwardly.

"Uh, hehe, mind dropping off a delivery then?" Sheila asked.

"Sure, why not," Daniel replied. Sheila whistled and a Starly flew up out of the birdcage and dive-bombed her.

"OWWW!" she yelled.

"Stahh!" the Starly cried.

"This is a newborn Starly…He's not a very good flyer so I don't want to send him out on his own. He doesn't know his way to Aggrestic anyway…and I don't have any Staraptor free to escort him. Do you mind taking him, a package, and a letter to this address?" Sheila requested, handing Daniel a piece of paper with an address written on it.

"Uh…no problem…" Daniel said.

"Thanks a bundle! I'll give you a little something for your trouble…let's see…ah! How about some of my pillows? Staraptor down feathers are very soft and very warm. I'm sure that my pillows are much more comfortable than whatever you have, follow me," Sheila said and walked into her store. They followed her. She handed Daniel a package and an envelope then walked over to a shelf of pillows, took a step back, examined her merchandise carefully, and then selected four identical pillows. She handed them to Tori.

"Th-thank you," Tori said, smiling.

"You're very welcome. Hey, I can take the old pillows off your hands. I like to recycle things," Sheila said. The trainers unpacked their old pillows, replaced them with the new ones, and handed the old ones to Sheila. The baby Starly flopped off of Sheila's shoulder and onto Kyle's.

"Mime…" Mime Jr. said, glaring jealously from Kyle's other shoulder. Candace gasped.

"What's wrong?" Kyle asked.

"My backpack's pulsing…" she said.

"Is the egg hatching?" Kyle asked. She took her backpack off, opened it, took the egg out of the case, leaving the case in her bag and held the egg. It kept pulsing but didn't appear to be hatching, necessarily.

"It's just moving around in there, I think," she said.

"Can I feel?" Kyle asked. Candace nodded. Kyle, Tori, and Daniel placed a hand on the egg to feel the pulsing.

"How exciting," Sheila said. "I remember when my first egg hatched…" She petted Val.

"Good afternoon," a man said as he entered the store.

"Well I have customers to tend to," Sheila said. "It's been nice talking to you and battling with you, but you better be on your way. Thanks again for making that delivery."

"You're welcome. Bye Sheila!" Candace said. The others said goodbye as well and they left the store, continuing on their way to Aggrestic. Candace decided to carry her egg just in case it decided to hatch.

"Daniel, how long does it take to get to Aggrestic City?" Kyle asked.

"Uh…I'd say five to six days…give or take. Maybe four if we really hustle," Daniel replied.

"WHAT?" Kyle said.

"Hey at least we have some comfy pillows to camp out with," Candace giggled.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. They didn't see anyone and pretty much walked the entire day, stopping to rest maybe once or twice. Mime Jr. found a stash of Cheri Berries in a tree trunk that a Pokemon had hidden away. He begged the trainers to take them but they told him that the berries weren't his to take. Eevee found a small pond and went for a swim but was attacked by an angry Corphish. The baby Starly, however, proved its strength when it dive-bombed the Corphish, knocking it out cold. At one point, they stopped and let out all their Pokemon and Pachirisu ran off. No one really cared until he came back covered in soot as if he had agitated something and it hit him with Flamethrower. Candace made a fuss, but Pachirisu insisted that he was fine. The Starly flew into several trees throughout the day and got stuck in a bush at one point; it took about fifteen minutes to get him out because he wouldn't stop flapping and squawking wildly. After it got dark outside, they pitched camp, ate dinner, talked and laughed for a long time, and eventually went to bed.

Their new tents that the boys bought in Neon City were bigger and in much better condition than their old ones. They were all dark green and made of much tougher material. Their black Staraptor pillows were extremely comfortable, and they were all glad to have them. Candace wrapped the egg in one of her blankets and fell asleep holding it. Eevee slept up next to her head and Tori slept beside the two. The boys each had their own tent. Kyle and Mime Jr. cuddled up together with messy faces; Mime Jr. had Cheri Berry juice all over his face and Kyle had chocolate all over his face. The Starly slept with Daniel, roosting on his pillow next to him.

The next morning, Tori woke up and walked out of the tent. She set up her camping stove and began to cook breakfast. She hummed quietly to herself and a Chatot landed in a nearby tree. He sang along with her humming and she giggled. Pretty soon, another Chatot landed in the tree and began to sing. Eventually, about one hundred Chatot were in the tree, singing. Tori had stopped humming at this point, and was trying to quiet them down.

"WHAT THE HECK!" Kyle yelled from his tent. An enraged Eevee emerged from the girls' tent and glared angrily at the choir of Chatot. Mime Jr. scurried out of Kyle's tent to back her up.

"EEVUI!" she shouted. The Chatot pretended not to notice.

"MIME MIME MIME MIME MIME!" Mime Jr. yelled, shaking both fists.

"EE EE VUI!" Eevee added. One of the Chatot grinned evilly and increased its volume and so did the others. Daniel and Kyle came out of the tents and began to look for rocks to pitch at the annoying birds. Candace was still out cold, as she was a very heavy sleeper.

"Damn, is that girl _still_ asleep?" Daniel asked, pelting all the Chatot with stones. Upon being hit, a Chatot fled for a few seconds but returned to the same spot. None of them stopped singing. Eevee ran into the tent and jumped on Candace's head. If Eevee couldn't sleep in, then no one could. Candace crawled out of the tent and Eevee was riding on her back.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" she asked sleepily. They pointed to the Chatot and she said, "Oh, how cute," and everyone smacked their foreheads.

"May we borrow Pachi?" Daniel asked.

"Oh yea, sure," Candace said, "Pachirisu, come on out!" She tossed his ball and he came out, curled up and sleeping. Candace cooed.

"Pachirisu, wake up!" Kyle demanded. Pachirisu opened one eye, closed it, and turned over. Daniel walked over, picked him up by the tail and threw him into the tree with the Chatot. Moments later, it was lit up like a Christmas tree from Pachirisu's Discharge. Many of the Chatot managed to fly away in terror. Some hit the ground and ran for their lives. Some crawled away frantically if their legs were too hurt to run.

Pachirisu fell out of the tree and landed on his ass. He looked around and had no clue what had just happened. One minute, he was sleeping and the next minute he was in a tree. He waddled over to Candace and nuzzled her leg. Candace stroked his head.

"Chi-paah…" he said and then electrocuted her. Her hair frizzed out and she glared angrily at him. Daniel chased after the injured Chatot. As pissed off as he was, he refused to let them go away hurt. He tended to their wounds and they flew away arrogantly when he was done.

"Well that's a nice way to say thank you, you ungrateful little shits," he muttered as they flapped away. He walked back and Tori was almost done with breakfast. Candace was sitting down on the ground, polishing her egg. Kyle was sitting next to her, polishing his gym badges. Eevee had gone back to sleep and Mime Jr. had helped himself to their Cheri Berry supply. Daniel sat down on the other side of Candace and examined the egg. He saw it shake slightly and smiled.

"Soon there's going to be another critter running around here," he said.

"You think so?" Candace asked. Daniel nodded in response. Candace glanced back at the egg before asking, "Any guesses as to what's inside?"

"Plenty," Daniel said. "But I hate being wrong."

"Ready," Tori said. Everyone let out their Pokemon and sat in a circle. Eevee woke up and came out to join them. Tori gave them all a plate of food and they took their time eating breakfast. When they were done, they packed up their camp and got ready to go.

"All ready?" Candace asked.

"Yup!" Kyle said. The others agreed.

"Alright then let's go!" Candace said. She was facing a rock that Eevee was standing on. Eevee took a step back and got ready to leap onto Candace's shoulder but Candace didn't notice and turned to walk away so Eevee went face first into Candace's hood. She kicked her hind legs wildly and everyone heard muffled Eevee sounds. Candace turned her head and noticed Eevee's fluffy tail.

"Oh Eevee! I'm so sorry!" she said and pulled Eevee out. Eevee panted and gasped for air, while glaring at everyone. Candace stroked her and put her in the front of her hoodie then picked up the egg and started walking. The others followed.

They walked at a quick pace for about an hour, trying to make good timing and reached a pretty small lake. It was too big to be a pond, but still pretty small. They saw Chucky eating a donut on an old, rotting dock.

"YO!" Kyle shouted.

"Oh hey!" Chucky said. He shoved the remainder of the donut into his mouth and hustled over. They were only standing a couple yards away but the running tired him out anyway; he was panting when he got to them.

"Hey, long time, no see," Candace said.

"Hey...uh…do any of you have a fishing rod?" he asked.

"No…sorry, Chucky," Kyle said. Candace, Daniel, and Tori shook their heads.

"Aww…I wanted to catch some water Pokemon for my Pokedex," Chucky said sadly.

"What kinds of Pokemon do you have now, Chucky?" Kyle asked.

"Well I've caught fifteen already, excluding Mudkip," he said. "I've been fooling around, but now I'm trying to get down to business. Wanna see what I have with me right now?"

"Yeah!" Kyle exclaimed. Chucky took out six Pokeballs and tossed them all up into the air. Mudkip appeared first, followed by Aipom, a Nidoran male and female, a Chatot, and an Ariados.

At the sight of Ariados, Tori screamed and ran away.

"Tori?" Candace called and chased after her. The others stared blankly.

"I guess she's afraid of spiders…Too bad he evolved last night…Spinarak might have frightened her…less," Chucky said. Candace brought Tori back and Chucky returned Ariados.

They began walking again and Chucky decided to walk with them. The five of them walked all day and pitched camp when it got dark. They lit a campfire and sat around it, sharing their adventures. Kyle, Mime Jr., Tori, and Chucky got tired after a while and went to bed, leaving Candace and Daniel alone with each other. The two trainers sat quietly for a while until Daniel finally broke the silence: "So what's your story? How did you get to be here?"

"I was born in Kerouac Town, and I'd been waiting to get my first Pokemon since I was ten," Candace began, "but it just never happened because Serrano didn't have a resident Pokemon professor. When Professor Maple moved into town, we went over to her lab, hoping to get a Mudkip, a Treecko, or a Torchic. However, when we got there, Angel, Katya, and Chucky had beaten us there, so we had to pick between Mime Jr. and Eevee. I'm actually glad, because…" She picked up the little Pokemon, hugged her tightly, and continued, "SHE'S SO CUTE!" Daniel laughed and reached out, scratching Eevee behind the ears.

Eevee closed her eyes and puffed up, as if to say, "Yes, adore me," to the two teenagers. Candace looked up at the boy and said, "How about you? What's your story, stranger?"

Daniel grinned and said, "You want the long version, or just the highlights?"

"Highlights will do nicely," Candace said, laughing.

"Well, let's see, I was born near Blackthorn City in Johto eighteen years ago. My father was a Dragon Tamer who worked with that guy in Johto, Lance. Fast forward eight years, when I got my first Pokemon," Daniel explained.

"You got your first Pokemon at eight?" Candace asked.

"Yeah. My dad's Garchomp had an egg, and when it hatched, the only one the Gible would work with was me. The Elders in the Dragon Den weren't sure if I was responsible enough to handle it, but I befriended it, and they tested me. They found that I had a lot of potential, and offered me a Dratini. I turned them down - all I wanted was the Gible. Two years later, Gible and I were almost inseparable," he explained and then sighed slowly before continuing, "My family disappeared not long after that. I don't know why, but I do know who was responsible."

"Who was it?" she pressed gently.

Daniel stared into the fire for a few moments before answering, "Team Jurassic. Remember those people who tried to take your egg? That's what they call themselves. I found a scrap of cloth from one of their uniforms when I got home from a day out with Gible."

"I'm so sorry, Daniel. Explains why you were so harsh on those two punks the other day," she said, smiling awkwardly.

"That was a mistake," he said. At her questioning look, he continued, "I don't see much point in beating on grunts. It's therapeutic, make no mistake…but it's the organization's head or heads that I want."

"Why them?" she asked.

"My father was extremely powerful. He and Lance trained together. The only ones who could have beaten him were the leaders of Team Jurassic. I know for a fact that he put up a fight - the house was a wreck, and there were blast marks from the battle," he explained. "One of these days, when I find them, there is going to be a reckoning. It's personal."

He realized he'd drifted too close to Candace and sat back. Then he continued, "Anyway, after they disappeared, they were declared missing and the family estate was left to me. I stuck most of it in the bank, assembled a traveling kit, and set off. I learned everything I could about Pokemon, their habits, their strengths and weaknesses, their moves, and where they lived. I actually lived with a lovely couple of Leafeon for a while. I also picked up a good deal of information about the Gym Leaders, and actually met a few of them."

"Like who? And do you know them well?" she asked.

"The Gym Leader in Caymus City, for instance, Clark. Strange guy, put his Gym in a functioning steel plant. He was the one who modified Skarmory's ball for me. The Leader in Midnight City, a guy named Randall, is a good guy. He's damn powerful, and he's a Dark-type user. When we go up against him, it'll be an incredible fight. Anyway, my Gible evolved into Gabite about a year ago and I started really catching Pokemon, mostly releasing them later where they could be useful. I caught Skarmory after seeing it fight off a trio of Beedrill," he said.

He paused again and grinned in remembrance then said, "After that, I caught Totodile after he swam straight through the bedrock of a waterfall without even noticing, then I realized I had everything I needed to take on the Gyms. Here is where it gets more interesting. I fought Oleander at Larose Gym and beat him without too much trouble. Electra was a bit more complicated - she fried Skarmory, but Gabite stepped up and things sort of went downhill for her from there. After that, I joined you guys." A thought came to him and he said it aloud, "Umm, Candace, I hope you don't mind my asking, but what happened to your dad? I've met your mother, but never your father."

Candace shrugged and said, "No idea. My mom never mentioned him, and I don't really have many memories of him. I'm hoping that maybe we'll run into him or somebody who knows him…I'm getting sleepy. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Candace picked up Eevee and went to the girls' tent. Daniel sat there for a while and eventually went to his tent as well.

The next morning, they woke up to an explosion and left their camp to see what it was. They found themselves in the middle of a field and two trainers were just having a battle. It was no big deal, so they walked back to their camp. When they got back, however, their camp was in shambles.

"Of course," Candace began, angrily, "because we can never leave for like two minutes and not have everything go to hell. No, that'd be way too easy on us."

They looked over at the tents and noticed a gang of four Mankey having a pillow fight with the Staraptor pillows. One of them, obviously the leader, was wearing a baseball cap. The bill, the sides, and the back of it were red. The front of it was white and had a green symbol on the front of it that looked kind of like a sideways V.

"NO, PUT THOSE DOWN!" Kyle scolded. The four Mankey just laughed at him. Tori began to clean/pack up the mess they made of everything else while the others tried to get the Mankey to go away. The Mankey jumped into a tree with their pillows, but the head Mankey fell out of the tree, and Daniel thought it would be a good idea to punt the little bugger.

The Mankey began to glow and change form.

"Perfect…" Candace said. The Mankey finished changing and became a very ticked off Primeape. The other Mankey hopped down and got ready to attack. All four of them dropped the pillows.

"Okay, you kicked it, you deal with it," Candace said.

"What?" Daniel asked.

"Distract it while we pack up," Candace said.

"Fine," Daniel said and took off, the baby Starly hopping a few feet after him, before apparently deciding he wasn't worth the effort. The Mankey and Primeape followed. The others quickly packed up everything and ran down the road shouting for Daniel to come back. He came out of the bushes and joined them. The enraged Pokemon came out after him, so Kyle sent out Pikachu who gave them a jolt. The Mankey collapsed but Primeape kept coming.

Chucky stopped and sent out his male Nidoran.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Kyle asked, stopping as well. The others stopped too.

"I'm gonna catch him, duh!" Chucky said. "Nidoran, use Poison Sting!"

Nidoran ran forward and dug its poisonous horn into Primeape who used Karate Chop and knocked him down. Primeape then used Low Kick to knock the Nidoran away. Chucky continued to order Nidoran to use Poison Sting and Primeape kept beating him around.

"He's not a very good trainer," Candace began to think to herself. "I would have told Nidoran to use Peck by now…or something other than Poison Sting…"

"Hey, what are you doing?" Daniel asked. "It's obvious that that's not working…"

"It'll be easier to catch if it's poisoned…" Chucky said.

"Yes, but look what's happening to Nidoran in the process…" Tori said quietly. Nidoran was barely standing. He looked tired and miserable. Chucky suddenly realized that he hadn't been thinking about the well-being of his Pokemon at all since he became a trainer. He knelt down beside Nidoran and petted him.

"I'm so sorry!" he said and started crying. Nidoran looked up and him and got teary-eyed too.

"Gee…it's nothing to cry about…Just learn from it and move on," Candace thought to herself, rolling her eyes.

"Nih!" it said happily and nuzzled him.

"Let's try this again!" Chucky said enthusiastically.

"Nee-doh!" Nidoran cheered in agreement.

"Use Peck!" Chucky ordered. Nidoran's horn glowed white and he charged forward, jumped up and nailed Primeape in the stomach. The super effective attack pushed Primeape back and did an adequate amount of damage. The Primeape made an X with its arms and thrust them down onto Nidoran while uncrossing them.

"That's Cross Chop!" Tori said. Nidoran cried out, but started glowing.

"ALRIGHT!" Chucky cheered as his Nidoran evolved into Nidorino. "Nidorino, use Poison Jab!"

Nidoran's horn turned purple and he charged forward with a substantial amount of power. He rammed into Primeape and stabbed it with his horn. Primeape fell on its rear and its nose turned red. He looked down weakly and Chucky tossed an empty Ultra Ball at it. It rocked several times before stopping and was successfully caught. Chucky picked it up and looked proudly at it before thanking and returning Nidorino.

Suddenly, the Ultra Ball began to glow and it disappeared. Candace and Kyle gasped.

"Why so surprised?" Chucky asked. "Don't you know that you can't have more than six Pokemon with you?"

"We know…we just didn't know it…disappeared," Kyle said.

"Yup! And it goes straight to Maple's lab!" Chucky said. Candace thought for a minute and took out one of her Moon Stones.

"Nice Nidorino," she began, "but…do you want a Nidoking?"

"OH MY GOSH, REALLY! FOR ME?" he asked, wide-eyed.

"Sure, I want to help you with your Pokedex! Hell, take two, one for when your other Nidoran evolves," Candace said, smiling. She took out another Moon Stone and held them out to Chucky. He looked like he was going to start crying again.

"You've got to be kidding me…This kid is way too emotional," Candace thought to herself, but still smiled politely. Chucky took the two stones but said he wanted to bond with Nidorino more before evolving him. He thanked them for teaching him to care more for Pokemon and said he had a lot more to learn before he got to their level. Candace asked why and he said he had nothing to show for his progress whereas Candace, Kyle, and Daniel did: their badges and the ribbon.

"Well, you might want to consider getting a few Gym badges," Daniel began, "just so your Pokemon will respect you more. Not necessarily all of them; I have a feeling that'd distract you from trying to fill up your Pokedex. But just a handful." Chucky shrugged, apparently unsure, and they all continued on their way together.

They walked as far as they could until a little after dark. Then they pitched camp and went to bed early because they were all pretty beat. The only exciting event the next day was Totodile almost drowning in a stream before realizing not only that he could in fact swim, but that the water only went up to his knees. Other than that, it was just hiking, hiking, and more hiking. The good news was that they should be arriving in Aggrestic City the next day! If all went well, that is...

~_~_~  
Author Notes:

Read and review please. This chapter is pretty random...but everything in it has a purpose...except maybe the Mankey scene. By the way, in case you didn't catch it, I was making a small reference to Ash (the leader was wearing his hat).


	15. CH 15 Aggrestic Chick

**Chapter 15: Aggrestic Chick **

"Ok, we've been traveling for four days; today makes the fifth…what gives? Are we almost there yet or what?" Kyle demanded the next morning at breakfast. Candace snatched Tori's map from her bag and laid it out in front of him.

"Pipe down," she said and pointed to Neon City. "It's a long way from Neon to Aggrestic," she said, trailing her finger along the route between the two cities.

As the two argued, Sheila's Starly flopped onto the top of Candace's egg case and the egg inside flashed briefly, causing Starly to panic.

"What's wrong?" Tori asked the Starly and picked him up. The egg flashed again and Tori gasped. Everyone else noticed too.

"Hey, I think that egg's about ready to hatch…" Chucky said. Candace walked over and took the egg out. Sure enough, it was pulsing stronger than before and nonstop. There was definitely something alive and moving in there, and it wanted out, bad. Suddenly, it flashed once more and the pulsing stopped. Candace gasped.

"What's wrong?" Kyle asked.

"I don't…" she trailed off and put the egg up to her ear then gasped again.

"What is it?" Kyle demanded.

"I think…it's taking a nap…" Candace said.

"Why do you say that?" Daniel asked, walking over to her. She motioned for them all to come and they took turns pressing their ear against the egg. There were quiet sounds coming from it that could only be described as snoring. Candace sighed.

The trainers picked up camp and hit the road. Candace felt a little crowded with an Eevee on her head, a Starly on her shoulder, and an egg in her arms, but she kept going anyways.

"Hey, look guys!" Chucky said a couple hours later, pointing up ahead to the right. They were approaching a rather large swampy area with a body of water off the side of the road, and the road was starting to get pretty muddy. As they got closer, Kyle drifted to the edge of the read, towards the swamp, but Daniel grabbed him and pulled him in by the shoulder.

"Careful," Daniel said. "If you get too close, you'll slip and fall down the mud bank and into the water. And I don't feel like fishing you out."

"Oh…" Kyle said. Mime Jr. looked down the mud embankment; it was getting pretty steep and was about fifteen to twenty feet high. They kept walking, but soon had to stop.

"You're joking…" Candace said looking at the obstacle before them: a Snorlax passed out, obstructing the road.

Daniel walked up to the Pokemon and poked him in the side. There was a tremendous rumble from Snorlax, and then the massive Pokemon released a mighty belch and sighed.

"He might be here for hours," Daniel said. "We might as well get comfortable." They sighed and decided to rest, so they sent out all of their Pokemon.

Chucky sat as close to the edge as possible, pointing his Pokedex at everything that moved. Most of the Pokemon chased each other around playfully. This excluded Gabite and Skarmory, who were leaning against a tree, Nidorino, who was laying down next to them, sleeping, and Lapras who wasn't sent out. Candace and Daniel were having a conversation and came to some sort of disagreement. Tori was quietly watching the Pokemon play, and Kyle was looking at the map in deep thought.

Pretty soon, Starly got bored and headed over to a tree. There was a hole in it and he thought it would be a good idea to put his beak in it, so he got stuck. Candace walked over to assist him.

"Can you hold this?" she asked, handing her egg to Pachirisu, without thinking, and then tried to pull Starly out.

"Chi-Paaah…" Pachirisu said, walking away with the egg, but Candace didn't notice. After some great effort, Candace managed to pull Starly out.

"There you go, now-" she said, but was cut off by Pachirisu's cheering. She looked over and he was using Snorlax's tummy as a trampoline. What was even worse was that he had set down the egg and it was bouncing up and down with him. She screamed and the others looked too.

"Pachirisu! I swear to God, I'm gonna kill you!" Candace shouted. Pachirisu pretended not to notice and instead grabbed the egg and began to bounce with it. The Snorlax woke up and didn't take too kindly to the situation. It smacked Pachirisu, who went flying towards the swamp with the egg. Snorlax then got up and left, grumbling.

Candace chased after Pachirisu, and Daniel caught him by the tail, but Pachirisu let go of the egg and it continued to fly towards the swamp. Candace jumped up and grabbed it, but had leaped right off the side of the road in the process. She curled up to protect the egg as she slid down the muddy embankment and landed in a deep pool of mud at the bottom.

"You ok?" Daniel called. She glared up, angrily, at them, covered in mud from head to toe. Pachirisu zapped Daniel, causing him to let go, and he then slid down the bank too. He didn't do it to reunite with his trainer; he just thought it looked fun and didn't want to be excluded from the excitement.

Mime Jr. got a little too close to the edge and started slipping. He grabbed Eevee, hoping to prevent falling, but only managed to pull her down with him.

"Mime Jr.!" Kyle yelled and slid down to see if Mime Jr. was ok.

"Chiii!" Pachirisu cheered. He had managed to get back up the embankment and came running, at full speed from behind Daniel, and rammed into him. Daniel began to fall and he grabbed onto Chucky in desperation, who then grabbed onto Tori in desperation. All three of the trainers slid down the embankment, joining the two siblings and their Pokemon. Starly flopped down after them and Pachirisu jumped onto Candace's head before running off to hide. Everyone was sitting in a puddle, soaked and completely coated in mud.

"Well this is just great," Candace shouted angrily.

"Is the egg okay?" Daniel asked. Candace cleaned the mud off the egg and searched for cracks.

"Yeah, it looks fine," Candace said, standing up to wipe the mud off, but it was no use. Chucky took out his Pokedex and scanned it around, hoping to pick up a reading on a Pokemon hiding in the mud.

"I wonder why there aren't any Pokemon here…I see a bunch but they're on the other side of the swamp…" he said, still scanning his Dex around.

"Probably to avoid people who slide down the bank," Candace muttered.

"Well Mime Jr., let's use Confusion to get everyone back up," Kyle suggested. Mime Jr. saluted, but suddenly, Chucky's Pokedex went off.

"Swampert, the Mud Fish Pokemon: It can swim while towing a large ship and it bashes down foes with a swing of its thick, rock-hard arms. This Pokemon has been known to be quite territorial," it informed.

"What was that about being territorial?" Candace asked.

"Oh, shit…" Daniel said.

"Swamp…" something growled. A large figure rose from the swampy water a few feet away and glared aggressively at the trespassers.

"Oh, double shit," Daniel muttered, tilting his head back to look at Swampert.

"Hi Swampert," Kyle said. "My name's Kyle, this is my sister Candace, and these are our friends: Tori, Daniel, and Chucky. We're sorry we came into your part of the swamp, but it was really an accident and we were just leaving…please don't eat me."

Swampert eyed Candace's egg with a yearning stare for a few moments before letting out an outraged cry and lunging forward. Candace, Tori, and Chucky screamed. It snatched the egg from Candace, leaped back into the water, and paddled away quickly.

"HEY, GIVE IT BACK!" Candace shouted but it didn't even notice. She looked around and found an old, beat up row-boat, walked over to it and started to pry it from the mud.

"Is that egg really worth it?" Chucky asked. "I mean, that thing doesn't look very safe…"

Without saying anything, she plopped it into the water and went back to the mud for the oars.

"I mean on top of that, we aren't going to catch up to a ticked off Swampert who's swimming full-speed. That's just a dingy little row-boat…" Chucky continued.

"You don't think its safe enough for you, feel free to stay behind," Daniel encouraged. Chucky looked back at the boat and the four other trainers, Eevee, Mime Jr. and Pachirisu were already sitting in it.

"…Fine," Chucky said with a sigh and hopped on board. Pachirisu cheered with excitement and Candace hit him over the head with one of the oars.

"YOU'RE STILL IN THE DOG HOUSE!" she shouted angrily.

"Chiiii PAH!" Pachirisu screamed as he shocked her and then took his place at the tip of the front of the boat. They began to paddle out in the direction that Swampert swam, Candace working one oar and Daniel working the other. After about a mile out, Kyle broke the silence.

"Just how big is this swamp anyway? I can't even see the bank anymore, how are we gonna find our way back if something crazy happens?" he asked.

"What could happen?" Candace asked innocently. Just then, rings of water rippled a few feet in front of the boat. Pachirisu watched curiously as the Swampert surfaced right in front of them, clutching the egg protectively.

"You just had to ask, didn't you?" Daniel scolded.

"Pachii-Soo!" Pachirisu cheered and shocked it, thinking he was being a good boy for taking out the big scary Pokemon, but to his surprise, the move had absolutely no effect. Swampert gritted its teeth and glared at Pachirisu, who slinked back into the boat and hid behind his trainer. Swampert raised one arm up high.

"Oh God…" Tori squeaked before Swampert brought it down with extreme force, smashing the front end of the boat. Everyone bailed out and watched it destroy the remainder of the boat. It turned to them and got ready to lunge at them.

"RUN!" Daniel shouted.

"TO WHERE?" Candace asked, treading the water.

"ANYWHERE BUT HERE!" he replied and started swimming away from the Swampert, so the others followed. Within moments, they found a mound of mud.

"THERE!" he shouted and they leaped out of the water onto it. Candace looked on the other side of it.

"Hey look, the water's shallow here, we can walk in it," she said and gasped. They were sinking in the mud. "Oh great idea," she continued, "Now what?"

"How about Chucky's Chikorita-" Kyle began but was cut off.

"I DON'T HAVE A CHIKORITA!" he shouted in panic. "WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!"

"Chillax, we've got this," Candace said calmly and looked at Tori.

"Right," Tori said with a nod. "Beautifly, use String Shot!" She sent out Beautifly who shot a string of silk at her trainer. It wrapped around several times and Beautifly began to pull, but Tori didn't budge much.

"She's not strong enough! WE'RE DONE FOR!" Chucky screamed. Kyle looked out in search of Swampert and saw it swimming in circles several yards away.

"I SAID CALM DOWN!" Candace ordered.

"Skarmory, help her out!" Daniel said, sending out Skarmory. The Pokemon flew over to Beautifly, tightened his talons around her back, and pulled.

"Oh…" Chucky said and sent out Chatot to join the pulling. Chatot grabbed onto Skarmory's shoulders and pulled. The Starly, who had been riding on Kyle's head, flapped over to them and grabbed onto Chatot's shoulders to pull.

"Well at least he can fly when he really needs to…" Candace said. Then the Starly lost its grip and plopped down in the shallow water. "Never mind…"

The three Pokemon gave one final tug and Tori flew out of the mud and into the shallow water. She scooped up the Starly and nuzzled him. The flying Pokemon did the same for the others, excluding Eevee and Pachirisu; Eevee managed to get onto her trainer's shoulder at some point and wasn't stuck in the mud, and Pachirisu was no where to be found. Poor Mime Jr. had gotten stuck in the mud face first and was very angry with everyone for a few minutes after he was pulled out. They sat and watched the Swampert as it swam in circles.

"You know that Swampert seemed pretty protective of that egg," Daniel thought out loud.

"Do you think it's a mommy Swampert and she lost her baby?" Tori asked.

"And she thinks MY egg is hers," Candace growled and started treading through the water.

"Yeah, but she'd have to be colorblind…Mudkip eggs are blue and orange," Chucky said.

"What kind of mother can't even recognize her own child," Candace began on a rant. The others started following her but didn't pay attention to the rest of her rant.

"Well maybe if we find her egg, she'll give that one back," Kyle suggested.

"Yeah but how are we gonna find it? I mean where could it be? This swamp is huge! What are the chances of finding it?" Chucky questioned. Just then, Candace, still in mid-rant, tripped and fell face first into the mud.

"Today just isn't your day, is it?" Daniel said, laughing.

"Anyway, it's probably back somewhere where we fell into this place because that's where we first encountered the Swampert…It's only logical that she'd be looking in the area she'd last seen it…" Chucky rambled. While he had been rambling, Candace had sat up and picked up the object of which she tripped over, wiping the mud from it. It was blue and orange.

"I found it," she whispered quietly.

"Furthermore," Chucky began, but was cut off.

"I FOUND IT!" Candace cheered, holding up a Mudkip egg. The others looked at it in shock. Chucky looked a little embarrassed. "HEY SWAMPERT!" she shouted, whistling. The Swampert stopped circling and came at them.

"We found your baby, so give ours back!" Kyle yelled. The Swampert stopped a few feet in front of them and stood up in the shallow water. Candace held the egg out and the Swampert grabbed it with her free hand and examined the two eggs carefully.

"Jeez, you lost your egg? That's not just sloppy, that's bad parenting," Daniel said to the Swampert. She looked at him and blasted him with Water Gun then looked at Candace's egg, scrunched her face, and tossed it over her shoulder before rushing away with her child.

"NO!" Candace screamed and waited to hear her egg land and break open, but it didn't. It landed in Pachirisu's arms and he looked excitedly at them.

"Pachirisu…" Candace said, slowly. He got ready to take off but one foot was stuck in the mud and he lost balance when he tried to spilt and fell over, dropping the egg. It landed softly in the mud because the fall wasn't very high. Candace walked over, picked up her egg, and punted Pachirisu.

"This whole mess is all your fault!" she shouted, glaring at Pachirisu. She then wiped the mud from her egg and checked for any sign of damage, hoping not to find any. Suddenly, the egg began to glow as if it were evolving. Everyone stood still and watched as rays of light shined from it and it changed shape.

When the glowing subsided, there was a little blue bird sitting in Candace's lap. It had white, cottony wings and two feathers at the top of its head that stuck out like antennas.

"Swablooo! Bloo!" it chirped happily.

"It's a Swablu," Daniel said. "Very nice."

"Awwww!" Candace cooed. The Swablu flew up and circled before landing on an old rusty sign sticking out of the mud. It said, "Welcome to Aggrestic City" in rusted letters. The trainers hadn't noticed it before.

"DOES THAT MEAN WE MUST BE CLOSE?" Kyle asked, excitedly.

"Sure looks that way, doesn't it?" Daniel snarked.

"YES!" Kyle cheered. "Real beds to sleep in tonight!"

"And a nice hot shower," Candace muttered, shaking some mud off. "Come here, Swablu!"

"Shwaa!" Swablu chirped and zipped over to her mommy, landing on Candace's head. Candace grabbed her and petted her with muddy hands. Swablu suddenly looked at her in disgust and flew out of her arms. She used her wings to wipe all of the mud off her mother, then rinsed her wings in the water. She did this for all of the muddy trainers and Pokemon, except Chucky who was now half-way across the swamp, chasing a group of Wooper.

When Swablu was done, she nuzzled her mommy happily and Tori sent out Lapras.

"Since our boat's destroyed, we can ride Lapras back to the bank," she suggested.

"Good idea, Tori!" Kyle praised. She blushed and looked away. They all climbed onto Lapras' back and she swam back to the point where they had fallen into the swamp, leaving Chucky behind. He seemed to be perfectly okay with that. Once they got there, Mime Jr. used Confusion to get everyone back up onto the road where their other Pokemon greeted them happily and playfully tackled their trainers. The trainers showed their Pokemon some love before calling them all back. Chucky's Pokemon laid down to take a nap while waiting for their trainer to return.

Candace ran to their stuff and pulled the Pokeball off the top of the egg case. She then tapped Swablu with it, successfully catching her. She smiled and put the ball away.

"Away we go?" she asked.

"Yep!" Kyle said happily. They continued on their way to Aggrestic City and reached it within an hour, at around sunset. It was very large, bordered by mountains and hills, with tons of residential houses, a few large buildings, and a couple small businesses. The first thing they did was locate a hotel and shower off all of the swamp muck, separately of course.

"I'm exhausted," Kyle said.

"Me too," Tori said.

"Bedtime?" Daniel asked, smiling. They looked over and saw Candace and Eevee, already passed out on a bed, then all nodded in agreement. It was a long way from Neon to Aggrestic City and they were very tired, so going to bed early wasn't a bad idea. They all got into their beds and Mime Jr. used Confusion to turn out the lights.

~_~_~  
Author Notes:

Read and review please.


	16. CH 16 A Heated Welcome

**Chapter 16: A Heated Welcome**

"Miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime-ma-ma-ma-ma!" Mime Jr. said, yawning. Kyle woke up too and looked over at Tori and Daniel, who were both awake and sitting on their beds.

"Where's Candace?" Kyle asked. Daniel shrugged.

"I think she's out on the balcony," Tori said.

She was out on the balcony, with Swablu and Eevee.

"Eevee, use Shadow Ball! Swablu, use Peck!" she said. Eevee fired a Shadow Ball off the Balcony and Swablu chased after it, with an extended, glowing beak. She pierced it and it broke apart, causing tiny bits of purple energy to rain down.

"Swab!" Swablu cheered and circled around to land on her mommy's shoulder.

"Well I was hoping for a little more of an explosion type thing…so it would look like fireworks, but that was good!" she said, petting Swablu.

"It needs more power, is all," Daniel said, joining her on the balcony. "I think. I haven't had much experience with this sort of thing, but unless the moves are totally incompatible, all you should need is practice."

"Blooo!" Swablu chirped and noticed a speck of dirt on Eevee's forehead, so she immediately began chasing Eevee around the balcony, trying to clean it off. Eevee didn't even know it was there and looked pretty confused.

"EE!" she cried and Swablu tackled her and rubbed the dirt off. Candace scooped up her two Pokemon and walked into the room. Swablu noticed dried Cheri Berry juice all over Mime Jr.'s face and immediately rushed to the bathroom where she turned on the faucet with her head and wet her wings, then flew right back and chased Mime Jr. around until she washed it all off.

"Well looks like someone's a bit of a neat freak," Daniel observed. Swablu glided over and perched on top of Candace's head and Starly flopped up onto her shoulder.

"I guess we need to go drop this thing off," Candace said, petting Starly.

"Yeah, let's go do that," Kyle said.

They left the hotel, walked several blocks away and found themselves at a Pokemart which was located right next to the Pokemon Center. The address on their paper matched the address of the Pokemart, so they walked right in.

"Delivery?" Candace said.

"From Sheila!" Kyle added.

"Ah, yes, that's for me," an employee said after he spotted the Starly on Candace's shoulder. Starly took off happily and landed on the employee's shoulder with surprising power and grace.

"This here Starly is pick of the litter," he said, petting it.

"Huh? But it's been so clumsy…" Kyle trailed off.

"He's just messing with you guys. He really can fly…if he wants to." Daniel facepalmed as the man continued, "He knows Aerial Ace too. None of his siblings hatched with the ability to use that move, so I paid extra for this one. You have a package and envelope for me too, don't'cha?" he asked.

"Oh yeah!" Tori said. Daniel took them out and handed them over.

"Hey thanks," the guy said. "I'd kind of like to repay you for your trouble."

"Oh it was no trouble!" Candace said. The man stared at the Swablu on her head for a few moments.

"Hey, I bet that Swablu can learn Aerial Ace. Her wings look pretty strong," he said.

"Huh?" Candace said, looking upwards. "Well I don't really know how to teach her…"

"No problem! Consider it payment for your time. If she's a good flyer, it'll be a piece of cake to learn!" he said. "I'll teach her!"

"Will she be ready in time for the contest?" Candace asked.

"Sure, come back later today. She might have it down by then!" he said.

"What do you think Swablu? Do you want to learn a cool new move? You're just a baby, you know…" Candace said looking up at her Swablu.

"Bloo!" Swablu chirped, eagerly.

"Well, okay then!" Candace said happily. He nodded and raised his arm up to her head. Swablu hopped on.

"She should be ready today or tomorrow," he said. "But like I said, feel free to come check up on her."

"I will, hey do you know where the Contest Hall is? We need to register," Candace said.

"Oh, no I don't know anything about that, you might want to go next door and ask Nurse Joy. I just moved into Aggrestic, you see," he said.

"Oh okay, well then we'll see you later, take care of Swablu!" Candace said, walking out. The others followed her into the Pokemon Center.

"Excuse me, Nurse Joy?" Candace asked as they walked into the Pokemon Center.

"Yes?" Nurse Joy asked, looking up at the trainers.

"Do you know where the Contest Hall is in this City?" Candace asked. Nurse Joy frowned.

"Well actually…The contests in this city aren't very popular. The hot shot coordinators never come to them. We tore down the Contest Hall years ago and built a History Museum in its place. There's a small arena not too far from this Pokemon Center. That's where the contests are held here. Just head east," Nurse Joy explained.

"Oh, really?" Candace asked.

"Yes," she said. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Nah," Candace said, "but thanks for the info."

"No problem," Nurse Joy said, smiling. The trainers didn't need to heal their Pokemon; they weren't tired. They left the building in search of the contest arena. Kyle decided to let Teddiursa out, so the small Pokemon was riding on Kyle's head and Mime Jr. was on his left shoulder. As they were walking east down the street, they noticed the museum. It was a huge, dome-shaped building. Right next to it was the arena with a small shack out front.

"Look," Tori said. There was a poster on the front of the shack. They walked over to it and it was just an advertisement for the upcoming contest. Tori read it and highlighted the major details for them.

"It's in three days, the office is closed now so we have to register tomorrow, only four coordinators are selected for the battling portion of the contest, and it's a double contest!" she said.

"…A…what…?" Candace asked.

"A double contest…" Tori repeated.

"Yea but…what is it?" Candace asked.

"Umm…I've never seen a double contest before, but you use two Pokemon…In the appeal round and in the battling round. In the first round, you need to showcase both Pokemon and try to mesh their abilities together so they make each other look good. In the second round, it's a double battle," Tori explained.

"Oh…I get it," Candace said looking back towards the sidewalk. She noticed two girls who had stopped and were looking at the poster too. They were just close enough for the trainers to hear what they were gossiping about.

"Are we gonna go watch that?"

"Of course!"

"Hahaha why so certain?"

"Did you hear who was participating in that?"

"No…"

"Rumor has it…the coordinator Lacey is entered in that contest!"

"Shut up!"

"I know!"

The two girls giggled and walked away.

"Lacey?" Candace asked, cocking her head. She then turned to Tori, who was looking down. Tori just shrugged and looked away, but she looked like she knew more than claimed to know. It was hard to tell how she felt about the subject though.

"Guess we're gonna go check out that museum then," Daniel suggested. "I mean there's nothing else we can do now…"

"Okay then," Candace said and walked forward. The others followed. She got to the sidewalk and was almost plowed over by a Riolu, running ninja-style with its arms trailing behind it.

"Faster Riolu, we have to run faster!" a little boy racing after the Riolu yelled before promptly running into Candace. She didn't budge but he fell to the ground. He looked to be about six or seven years old. He had spiky light brown hair and eyes about the same color, and he was wearing a white karate outfit.

"Hey are you okay?" she asked.

"Watch where you're going!" he yelled angrily.

"I wasn't going anywhere!" Candace snapped. "You ran into me!"

"Yeah, whatever you say. I know the truth," he said, standing up and brushing off the dirt. The Riolu had stopped and walked over to the boy.

"Rio…" it said.

"RIOLU, I TOLD YOU TO KEEP GOING! SO GO! FASTER FASTER FASTER!" the boy yelled. Riolu looked a little sad.

"Mikey! I told you, you must to be kinder to Riolu!" a man said. The trainers turned in the direction where the voice came from. An old man was standing there. He had grey hair wrapped up in a pony tail, grey eyes, and he too was wearing a karate outfit. The little boy looked away.

"Riolu is trying his best, you mustn't push him too far," the man said.

"But…I just want to train him to be faster…the fastest Riolu in the whole world!" Mikey said.

"But that still doesn't give you reason to yell at him the way you do. Riolu is your friend, and you must treat him that way," the man said. Mikey sighed.

"Yes, sensei…" he said. The man looked at the trainers.

"Ah, you all must be trainers. Have you stopped by my dojo yet?" he asked.

"N-no…" Candace said, looking a little confused.

"We just got here, kinda," Kyle said.

"Oh, well then you must come see it, especially if you'd like to get some training done," the man said with a laugh.

"YEAH!" Kyle cheered.

"I'm down," Daniel agreed.

"Me too," Candace said happily.

"I don't mind going either," Tori said, smiling sweetly.

"Alright then, follow me," the man said and led them up the street a bit. There was a large, light blue building at the end of street. It was a short, flat building, but it was pretty long, and it said "FIGHTING DOJO" in black letters up at the top. The trainers followed the sensei and Mikey into the building. There were several other of the man's students inside with their fighting Pokemon, training. They all gave the trainers fierce looks.

"So did you bring us some challengers, sensei?" one of them asked.

"They don't look so tough," another commented. He had long blonde hair and dark brown eyes. He looked to be about eighteen.

"Looks can be deceiving, James," the sensei said.

"Hmph…Well which one of you is going to battle me and my Machoke?" he asked.

"How about one of the ladies? You might be able to handle one of them," someone said, laughing.

"SHUT UP!" James said.

"I wanna battle YOU!" Mikey said, pointing and glaring angrily at Candace.

"M-me?" Candace said, startled by his outburst.

"YEAH! You ran into me and I'm gonna make you pay!" Mikey said.

"I never ran into you!" Candace snapped.

"I wanna battle him," James said, pointing at Daniel. "He looks the strongest, I guess."

"Watch yourself, Jimmy boy," Daniel murmured, a quiet smile on his face.

"We'll take the two kids!" a set of twins announced. They were both girls around the age of thirteen. They had black braided hair and brown eyes. There was an uproar as the other students complained about not being able to battle one of the guests

"These people act like they haven't battled in ages…why are they so restless?" Tori thought to herself.

"Follow me to the arena if you're going to battle, and everyone else, please try to act like human beings for God's sake. I'm not going to teach a class of crazy monkeys! Calm yourselves!" the sensei said. The students quieted down, and the trainers followed the sensei to another room with an arena.

"Mikey and his opponent will go first," the sensei announced. Candace and Mikey positioned themselves on the arena. The others stood off to the side, out of the way. Riolu stepped forward and Candace sent out Growlithe.

"This will be a one-on-one battle. No substitions. The last Pokemon standing will be victorious!" the sensei announced. "Begin!"

"Riolu, use Force Palm!" Mikey ordered. Riolu charged forward.

"Growlithe, use Flame Wheel!" Candace yelled. Growlithe curled up into a fireball and rolled forward. He rammed into Riolu and rolled over him several times, before Riolu could use Force Palm.

"Quick Attack!" Mikey shouted.

"Ree!" Riolu said with a nod and dashed forward.

"Use Take Down and then Flamethrower," Candace said.

"Graw-oo!" Growlithe barked and charged forward. He slammed into Riolu and sent him flying.

"Looo!" Riolu cried as he flew back. Growlithe shot a Flamethrower at him, so he went up in flames and cried out again.

"Riolu!" Mikey cried, running to his fallen Pokemon. "You didn't stand a chance…"

"Uhm…sorry about that," Candace said. Mikey didn't say anything. He just picked up Riolu and left the room.

"Don't mind him," the sensei said. "You and Growlithe did a fine job. Come on over and let us watch the next battle."

"Kay," Candace said with a smile and ran up to join her friends.

"Is it our turn?" the twins asked at the exact same time.

"If you'd like, Tia and Taia," the sensei said. They started giggling and skipped forward. Kyle handed Teddiursa to Candace and went forward with Tori.

"Mankey, go!" one of the twins said, throwing a Pokeball.

"Makuhita, you too!" the other said, throwing a Pokeball as well. The two fighting types popped out and punched at the air.

"Ugg… Mankey," Candace thought to herself, remembering the nightmare from the other day.

"Mime Jr. get on out there!" Kyle cheered and Mime Jr. ran forward to face them.

"Flaaffy, let's go!" Tori cheered and sent out her Flaaffy.

"Focus Punch!" the twins said. Makuhita and Mankey both raised a fist which began to glow white with energy. They positioned their arms, ready to punch, and charged forward at Flaaffy. Teddiursa cocked his head and looked at his paw. He looked back at Mankey and Makuhita's fists, and then stuck his paw in his mouth.

"Barrier!" Kyle ordered. Mime Jr. lifted his arms and a blue shield appeared in front of Flaaffy so neither of the punches could hit her, they just collided with the barrier and nothing happened.

"Flaaffy, use Thundershock!" Tori ordered.

"Why not Discharge? It's a lot more powerful," Candace whispered.

"Well if Flaaffy were to use Discharge, Mime Jr. might get hit too. It's a pretty crazy move. It'll zap anything within reach. You should know that…" Daniel said. Candace thought for a moment with flashbacks running through head of Pachirisu zapping each of them, as well as other people.

"Good point," she said.

Mime Jr. put his arms down and the Barrier went away, allowing Flaaffy to attack. Yellow bolts discharged from her and shot at the two fighting types.

"Dodge it!" the twins said. Mankey jumped to the right and Makuhita jumped to the left, both avoiding the attack. "Now use Focus Energy!"

"Do they say everything in unison?" Candace wondered to herself.

"Hee-tah," Makuhita said, raising his hands up into prayer position.

"Mank-ee," Mankey said at the same time while doing the same motion. Both Pokemon closed their eyes and looked like they were in deep concentration.

"Break their concentration with DoubleSlap!" Kyle commanded. Mime Jr. ran over and slapped both of the Fighting-type Pokemon across the face several times.

"Seismic Toss!" the twins ordered.

"Okay that's just creepy," Candace thought to herself.

Makuhita was closer to Mime Jr. so it grabbed him by the arm and Mankey charged at Flaaffy.

"Mime Jr. used Confusion and then Barrier on just yourself!" Kyle ordered. "It's time to finish this."

"Right!" Tori said with a smile.

"Looks like those two have got a little telepathy going on themselves. How cute," Candace said out loud this time.

"What?" Daniel asked.

"Nothing," Candace said smiling.

Mime Jr. thrust his other arm forward, eyes glowing blue, and Makuhita flew back. He then raised both arms and a blue sphere formed around him, shielding him from any attack.

"Discharge!" Tori cheered. Mankey hadn't gotten to her yet, so he sped up, hoping to get to her before she could move.

"Flaaahhh," Flaaffy said, charging up some electricity. Mankey lunged at her, grabbing hold of her tail. She smiled wickedly at him and released a large amount of blue lightning bolts which shot out and zapped both of the fighting Pokemon and Candace.

"I'm leaving," Candace said. Daniel laughed.

"It's not funny! Here I thought I could make it through the day without getting hit with Pachirisu's Discharge, but then I get hit with Flaaffy's. Go figure!" she said.

"Sorry Candace," Tori called. Flaaffy was frowning.

"It's fine," Candace said, looking pretty annoyed.

"A day without you getting fried is like a day without sunshine, y'know?" Daniel said, still laughing.

"LOOK!" Mikey said happily. Everyone looked at Mankey and Makuhita, who were both struggling to their feet.

"Where'd you come from?" Candace asked. She got no response, everyone was focused on the two fighting Pokemon.

"Fighting Pokemon are extremely strong willed," one twin said.

"So it's incredibly difficult to defeat them," the other twin said.

"You're friend just got lucky," the first said.

"That's all," the second said.

"You two, however, will not be so lucky. USE FOCUS PUNCH!" the two shouted together. Teddiursa's ear perked up and he watched the two fighting Pokemon carefully.

"They finish each other's sentences too?" Candace mumbled to herself, brushing out her hair because it was so poufy from the static.

"Confusion!" Kyle ordered. Mime Jr.'s eyes began to glow blue again and he jerked one arm. Mankey flew back, crashed into Makuhita, and the force drove them both into a wall. They then face-planted into the ground in defeat.

"Wha?" the twins said together.

"That means it's our turn!" James shouted loudly. Their sensei sighed. The twins called their Pokemon back and Tori called Flaaffy back. They all walked over and joined the others while Daniel and James went forward and positioned themselves in the arena.

"I'm the best student here," James said. "You don't stand a chance."

"James!" the sensei yelled.

"What?" James asked, startled.

"What must you never ever do in battle?" the sensei demanded. James was silent.

"Don't worry, Sensei. I _know _I can take him…" James said. The sensei frowned but said no more.

"Don't worry, Sensei. I get this all the time," Daniel said, bringing a scowl from James. "One of the curses of being popular, I guess," he went on, not passing up the chance to needle the other boy.

"Go, Machoke!" James shouted as he threw a Pokeball forward, sending out a large Machoke.

"Skarmory, let's go!" Skarmory came out and spread its wings, stretching and readying itself for the battle.

"Machoke! Use Karate Chop!" James shouted immediately. Machoke lunged forward, its hand glowing.

"Stay away, Skarmory! Don't let him get a grip on you!" Daniel shouted, and Skarmory flapped and hopped out of the way of Machoke's strike. "Now get airborne!" Skarmory took off, circling the ring. "Attack from altitude. Use Air Slash!" A ball of energy formed in front of one of Skarmory's wings, and it threw it at Machoke. The attack impacted, kicking up dust briefly. "Do it again!" Skarmory fired another attack into the dust, which didn't hit Machoke, but did clear the dust.

"Ah, crap," Daniel breathed. Machoke was standing there, posing and apparently unhurt for the most part.

James smirked. "Good. Machoke, use Dynamic Punch!" A blue aura formed around Machoke's fist.

Daniel's eyes bugged out. "Oh, double crap. Skarmory! Keep moving!" Machoke jumped, its punch leading the way. Skarmory performed a flawless barrel roll at the last moment, letting Machoke punch through the roof of the dojo without touching it. "When he comes back, use Steel Wing!"

Machoke crashed back through the roof, and the leading edges of Skarmory's wings glowed as it dove, heading straight for Machoke.

"Use Vital Throw!" James shouted. Machoke set its feet, and when Skarmory was moments from impact, snapped its arms out and punched Skarmory into the dirt. "Now use Seismic Toss!" Machoke grabbed Skarmory and jumped, spinning for a few seconds before throwing the Steel-type to the ground, hard. Skarmory landed in a heap.

"Skarmory is unable to battle!" Mikey said happily. Daniel scoffed and the sensei closed his eyes and looked down. Kyle looked up at him and noticed him smiling.

"Hardly. Skarmory! Up and at 'em, buddy!" Daniel urged. Skarmory rolled to his feet, shaking itself and cleaning the dust off.

"Do you know, young one?" the sensei asked, still smiling and looking at Kyle.

"Use Agility! Give me everything you've got!" Skarmory took off, circling the edge of the dojo as it picked up speed.

"Know what?" Kyle asked.

"Come on!" Daniel shouted. "FASTER! I know what you're capable of!" Skarmory was practically screaming around the edge of the dojo, whipping up dust and loose items in its wake.

"The number one rule when it comes to battling, other than caring for your Pokemon," the sensei said. Kyle was silent.

"How is Skarmory going so fast?" Tori asked. She and Candace couldn't hear Kyle and the sensei's conversation.

"Skarmory are incredibly fast to begin with," Candace said. "I think the speed record for one in a dive is 190 miles an hour. Knowing Daniel, he's done speed training with Skarmory to try to beat that record."

Skarmory was nothing more than a blur at this point, after further encouragements from Daniel.

"Never…" the sensei began.

"Now! USE STEEL WING AGAIN!" Daniel shouted over the roar of the artificial wind Skarmory was creating.

"Ever…" he continued.

It seemed as if Skarmory appeared from nowhere as it slammed wings-first into Machoke, blasting the Pokemon off its feet and clear across the ring.

"Underestimate the opponent," the sensei said with a smile. Machoke hit the ground and Kyle looked. "It's one of the biggest mistakes you can make. I think James just learned that the hard way." Kyle looked up at the sensei and smiled.

Machoke stood for a moment, before collapsing in a heap. Skarmory landed next to Daniel, preening as the boy praised him quietly and fed him a handful of Berries.

"How did he _do_ that?" Kyle said, amazed.

Candace was silent for a moment before speaking. "…If I had to guess, I'd say he used the speed Skarmory built up to add to the Steel Wing's force enough to take out Machoke. That's the only way that should have worked."

"It shouldn't have worked," Daniel said without turning to look at them. "I'm just obscenely lucky."

"You children are quite skilled," the sensei said. "My students still have much to learn. I'm sorry they didn't prove to be much of a challenge for you. Would you like me to evaluate your performance?"

"Sure, we're always looking for tips and pointers. We know we're not perfect," Candace said smiling.

"Well in order to do that, I must observe your battling skills a bit more. You've knocked out several of my best students, however. You do know what this means, correct?" the sensei asked, walking over to James. They were all silent.

"Is he going to…?" Tori wondered to herself. She gasped and looked pretty frightened.

"Stand aside, James. I'd like to battle them," the sensei said. James called Machoke back and walked back to his place in the sidelines, quietly and shamefully.

"Take a rest, I'll battle you in the order my students did," the sensei said to Daniel, who nodded and switched places with Candace.

"Are you ready Candace?" the sensei asked.

"You bet," Candace said with a smile and reached for a Pokeball.

~_~_~  
Author Notes:

Read and review please.


	17. CH 17 The Sensei's Words of Wisdom

**Chapter 17: The Powerful Sensei's Words of Wisdom**

"Pachirisu, let's go!" Candace said, tossing his ball up into the air. Pachirisu looked around and got ready to dart away, but stopped when the sensei tossed a Pokeball.

"Hitmontop, show these youngsters what true power is!" he yelled as a Hitmontop popped out.

"Ready Pachirisu?" Candace asked.

"Chi-Pah!" Pachirisu cheered.

"Alright then use Quick Attack!" Candace ordered. Pachirisu charged forward at Hitmontop.

"Oh come now, you must know, Hitmontop's specialty," the sensei said.

"Huh?" Candace said, cocking her head.

"Rolling Kick!" he ordered. Hitmontop hopped up a little and landed on his head then immediately began to spin like a top. Pachirisu was unable to hit it, as Hitmontop was spinning so quickly that there was no way for Pachirisu to attack and avoid getting kicked. Pachirisu flew back but rotated in the air and landed on all fours.

"Discharge!" she ordered.

"Counter it with Rapid Spin," he said. Pachirisu used Discharge and zapped just about everyone in the room, except Hitmontop, who was spinning again. The electricity circled around it as it spun and it tackled Pachirisu, hitting him with both Rapid Spin and Discharge.

"I need to come up with some combinations, but what will work…" Candace thought to herself.

"Well while you think it over, I'll move," the sensei said. "Rapid Spin again!"

"Discharge again!" Candace ordered.

"Why?" Kyle asked. Pachirisu used Discharge and it circled around Hitmontop again as he came at Pachirisu.

"Bide!" Candace ordered. Pachirisu began to glow white.

"Very good," the sensei said, knowing there was no way for Hitmontop to dodge.

"That's not all," Candace said. "Use Quick Attack!" Candace ordered. Pachirisu ran forward, still using bide and created an even larger impact. There was a large explosion and both Pokemon were flung back.

"A wonderful combination! But be careful with it, your Pachirisu won't be able to take much of that," he said.

"I know," Candace said. "Now Pachirisu, do you remember the move Electra's Pachirisu knew?"

"Chi?" Pachirisu said looking up at her. He remembered all of a sudden and nodded energetically.

"Then do it, use Swift!" Candace ordered. Pachirisu circled around and yellow star discs shot from his tail. The stars danced around Hitmontop as it tried to reflect them.

"Swift is a really hard move to dodge," Daniel said.

"Now use Discharge while he's distracted," Candace ordered.

"Let it hit," the sensei said.

"WHAT?" Candace shouted.

"Mon-top!" Hitmontop chanted and flipped back up onto his feet. He threw out his arms as Pachirisu shocked him.

"Revenge," the sensei said. Hitmontop's whole body turned yellow and it lunged forward, flipping back onto his head and slamming into Pachirisu.

"CHI PAH!" Pachirisu cried, flying back and hitting a wall. He slid down in defeat.

"Pachirisu!" Candace cried and ran to his side.

"So you're a contest coordinator," the sensei said.

"Yes, but I battle gyms too," Candace said, looking up at him. She was cradling Pachirisu in her arms too.

"Well that's quite a lot to handle. It's not a bad thing though, it's just more work, that's all. You seem to be concentrating too much on how to make your moves stunning, yet powerful. Do what you can first and use the combinations as they come to you. Don't over-think things. And try not to rely too much on Pachirisu's speed. You must focus on his power and control now. Your Growlithe is quite impressive though. I can see that he adores you and would do anything in his power to protect you or make you proud. You just need to polish him up a bit, but he's almost there," he said.

"Thanks…" Candace said, looking away. She looked back at him and smiled.

"Tori and Kyle, you battled together…so I guess…Tori can be next," the sensei said. Tori gasped and blushed.

"Um, actually, can I go last?" she asked.

"I suppose that's fine…Kyle?" the sensei asked, looking at Candace's little brother.

"I'm ready!" Kyle said. Teddiursa cheered. "Let's go Teddiursa!"

"Oh, are you're going to use Teddiursa? You do realize that I use Fighting-type Pokemon, right?" the sensei warned.

"I know, but Teddiursa needs the training!" Kyle exclaimed.

"Alright then..." the sensei trailed off. "Hitmonlee, come on out!" He sent out a Hitmonlee and it kicked rapidly at the air with one leg.

"Teddiursa, use Fury Swipes!" Kyle ordered. Teddiursa nodded and scampered forward.

"Use Double Kick now," the sensei said. Hitmonlee blocked the attack with a lightning-fast kick, before spinning around and kicking Teddiursa in the head with the other leg and knocking the smaller Pokemon to the ground.

"Teddiursa!" Kyle yelled. Teddiursa struggled to his feet, growling, and wiped the corner of his mouth with his paw.

"Now use Mega Kick!" the sensei ordered. Hitmonlee lifted his leg again and brought it down to hit Teddiursa.

"Teddi!" Teddiursa cried and brought his paw up to block the hit. To everyone's surprise, it was glowing. He swung at Hitmonlee's foot and drove it away. Hitmonlee stumbled back a little but appeared more surprised than injured.

"That was Focus Punch!" Tori cheered.

"He must've picked it up from the twins' Pokemon." Daniel concluded. "He's a quick study. Impressive."

"That's AWESOME!" Kyle cheered. "Teddiursa, use Focus Punch now!"

"URSA!" Teddiursa shouted as he flung himself at Hitmonlee, ready to swing at it.

"Just because he learned a new move doesn't mean you can charge in like that. Hitmonlee, Mega Kick once more," the sensei said. Hitmonlee brought one leg back and drove it forward, hitting Teddiursa like a soccer ball. Teddiursa flew upwards and the sensei told Hitmonlee to use Hi Jump Kick. Hitmonlee jumped up and kicked Teddiursa again, causing him to come crashing back down to the ground.

"Teddiursa is taking a serious beating..." Tori thought to herself. Teddiursa still managed to get back up but then promptly fell to one knee. "And Kyle can't do a thing..."

"Finish it off with Blaze Kick," the sensei said. Hitmonlee's left foot blazed and it swung at Teddiursa. Kyle bolted.

"NOOOOOOOO! PLEASE STOP!" he cried, running to shield Teddiursa. Hitmonlee stopped inches away from Kyle's head and the flames extinguished. Teddiursa collapsed in Kyle's arms.

"Kyle," the sensei began, "I understand your desire to train all of your Pokemon and make all of them stronger, but I can't help but think that choosing Teddiursa wasn't the best choice for this match. You haven't worked with him much and you're jumping in head first. Teddiursa needs to learn how to walk before he can run. I am very impressed with your decision to end the fight, however. Well done."

"Oh, okay…" Kyle said, frowning.

"Don't be discouraged, young one. No one's perfect," the sensei said with a chuckle.

"I know," Kyle said with a smile and walked over to join his friends.

"My turn," Daniel said, pulling his jacket off and yanking Gabite's black ball from his belt. He positioned himself and the sensei called Hitmonlee back.

"Gabite! Let's go!" Daniel said. He enlarged and threw the ball, sending out Gabite, who stretched to his full height.

"Hitmonchan, go!" The sensei said, his voice level. His face was serene, and the Hitmonchan gave a few experimental jabs, warming itself up. Neither trainer gave a command, and there was silence in the ring for a minute.

"What's he doing?" Kyle asked.

"I'm not sure," Candace said. "I'd guess Daniel is waiting to see what the sensei will do when confronted with Gabite, while the sensei wants Daniel to make the first move."

"Oh no," Kyle said. "They're going to try to out-patience each other. We'll be here all day."

"Not likely," Candace said. "Daniel will make the first move if he has to within ten minutes or so. He wants to fight on his terms."

Daniel took a knee. "Gabite, get comfortable. No need to get ahead of ourselves."

The sensei nodded. "You cannot outlast me any more than the reeds can resist the wind. However, if you so wish, I shall make the first move." He spoke to the Punching Pokemon: "Hitmonchan, use Mega Punch." Candace saw Daniel start a three-minute countdown timer on his watch as he stood up. Hitmonchan's glove glowed white and he lunged forward.

"Bounce it with Rock Smash, Gabite," Daniel said. Gabite's claws glowed and he charged forward and struck at Hitmonchan's attack, sending it skidding off to the side. As Gabite skidded past Hitmonchan, Daniel continued, "Good. Now attack with Dragon Claw." Gabite's claws glowed green, and he slashed at Hitmonchan from behind, knocking him forward. "Keep it up. Hit him with Dragonbreath!"

"Use Vacuum Wave, Hitmonchan," The Sensei replied calmly. Hitmonchan's fists glowed white as Gabite drew in breath. Hitmonchan fired a pair of tornadoes at Gabite, knocking him back before he could fire the attack at Hitmonchan. The blast instead knocked a hole in the roof. "Now follow it up with Sky Uppercut." Hitmonchan's glove glowed blue and it braced itself to throw the punch.

"Catch it," Daniel said calmly. Hitmonchan threw the punch, moving so fast its glove simply disappeared aside from a blue trail. Gabite's hand snapped out and caught the blow, stopping it cold. "Use Dragonbreath!" He shouted. Gabite fired a blast of superheated air directly into Hitmonchan's face at close range, knocking the Fighting-type back. He also managed to char one side of the ring. The boy glanced at his watch. "Only another minute or so, Gabite!"

Candace saw a small smile flit across the Sensei's face and bit her lip. "Something's up," She muttered to Kyle as the two Pokemon continued to trade blows in the ring. "What's the deal with Hitmonchan? Daniel set the timer on his watch for three minutes. But the Sensei isn't worried."

In response, Kyle pulled his Pokedex out and aimed it at the Hitmonchan. "Hitmonchan, the Punching Pokemon," the Dex said. "It fires punches that are faster than the eye can see, but needs to rest after three minutes of fighting. It twists its arms as it punches to increase the power of its attacks."

"Well, that explains that part of the puzzle," Candace said.

"But then why is the Sensei still fooling around like this?" Tori said, worry evident in her voice.

The timer on Daniel's watch went off, and he grinned. "Good. He's going to have to rest now. Hit him with Dragon Rush!" Gabite sprang forward, becoming surrounded by a blue aura.

The Sensei nodded. "Hitmonchan, use Ice Punch!" Daniel blanched, and Hitmonchan threw a punch surrounded by an icy glow. The two attacks connected with a massive explosion. The smoke cleared, and Hitmonchan was standing, winded but otherwise all right. Gabite was on one knee, ice covering its right side from the shoulder to the hip, his chest heaving. "Use Mach Punch, Hitmonchan," The Sensei said, almost dreamily.

"Gabite. Hang in there, buddy!" Daniel shouted. The blow connected, knocking the Cave Pokemon back several feet, skidding hard and ending on his knees, his right side still encased in ice.

"Now finish it. Close Combat!" The Sensei commanded bowed his head. Hitmonchan's eyes glowed a deep red, and it threw a flurry of punches that Gabite had no chance of dodging. When it was done, Gabite wavered slowly, and fell forward onto the ground, unconscious. Daniel recalled his Pokemon, his head bowed.

"I haven't been beaten like this in a long time, sir," Daniel said quietly, not looking up. "Not in a very long time. I didn't count on Hitmonchan being able to continue past the three-minute mark."

"This was a good battle, and you fight with strength that I have not seen in years, in another Dragon Tamer," the sensei said. "However, your problem seems to be that you focus on power in the short run to end battles quickly to cover up any weaknesses you might have in type. In a long battle, this proves to be your weakness. You also rely on your knowledge of Pokemon, which does not always hold true, as you found out. While you need to work on your endurance, I see how close you are to your Gabite. In time, with training, I feel that he shall be extremely powerful. You have yet to reach your full potential, but you have shown serious power."

"Thank you, sir," Daniel said, a small smile crossing his face. "However, you made a few mistakes of your own." There were gasps from the students at the impudence of this young man who was daring to imply that their master had made a mistake. The sensei, however, was unruffled.

"How so?" he asked.

Daniel grinned. "You gave away the fact that your Hitmonchan was able to continue past the three-minute mark. On top of that, you could easily have taken us down within the first two minutes. Yet you chose to allow me to continue attacking. Why?" As he spoke, he pulled a bottle of water out and drank deeply.

"To throw you off guard," the sensei said calmly, and Daniel choked, spraying water across the ring.

"Are you ready now, miss?" the sensei asked, looking at Tori.

"Oh, um, yes, I am!" Tori said and walked forward timidly. Daniel walked over and stood next to Candace.

"Tyrogue, come on out," the sensei said as he sent out a Tyrogue. The Tyrogue seemed very calm and focused.

"Beautifly, its show time!" Tori said as she sent out Beautifly.

"Well at least Tori gets to battle his weakest Pokemon. Her self-esteem is low enough as it is," Candace said optimistically. Kyle thought for a minute. He remembered what the sensei had told him during Daniel and James' battle; never underestimate an opponent.

"The Tyrogue is probably a lot stronger than it looks…" Kyle said.

"How right you are!" the sensei said with a nod. "Tyrogue is my first Pokemon, and my strongest."

Tori gulped and looked up at Beautifly.

"Can we handle it?" she wondered to herself.

"Ladies first," the sensei said.

"Oh, okay," Tori said. "Beautifly, use Silver Wind and then Gust!"

"Beee-yooo!" Beautifly said as she fluttered her wings and released a sparkling silvery powder from them. She immediately followed it up with a strong gust of wind, spreading and adding extra power to her attack. When it cleared, Tyrogue was nowhere to be seen.

"It evaded the attack!" Candace shouted. "Tori be careful!"

"Bullet Punch," the sensei said. The Tyrogue jumped up from wherever he was and appeared above Beautifly. Its body was completely horizontal and it was looking up at the ceiling. His fists were glowing red and he began spinning. His fists hit Beautifly in the back over and over again and knocked her down to the ground. He used her back as a springboard and bounced off, landing gracefully a few feet away from her.

"Beautifly, get up!" Tori urged. Beautifly flapped a couple times and was back in the air.

"Use Swift," the sensei said. Tyrogue crossed his arms and they began glowing.

"Use your Silver Wind shield!" Tori ordered.

"A Silver Wind shield? Well Let's see it!" the sensei said, smiling. Tyrogue flung his arms out, releasing a flurry of yellow star-shaped discs. Beautifly was rotating in all different directions, releasing her silvery powder and it formed a sphere around her, like it did at the Neon City Contest. The discs were absorbed into it and when Beautifly stopped, she appeared to have not been hit at all.

"Use Hi Jump Kick!" the sensei ordered. Tyrogue sprang up, bending one knee and planning to kick Beautifly with it.

"Tackle!" Tori shouted. Beautifly charged at the incoming Tyrogue but he was much more powerful and knocked her into the ceiling. She cried out but wasn't ready to give up. The Tyrogue landed and grinned at the Beautifly.

"Use Double Team!" the sensei commanded. Tyrogue multiplied into about ten Tyrogue and circled around below Beautifly.

"Stun Spore!" Tori ordered. Beautifly flapped her wings and a gust of orange powder rained down. Nine of the Tyrogue were hit and disappeared.

"Vacuum Wave," the sensei said calmly, before the last Tyrogue was hit. Tyrogue crossed his arms and they turned white. He flung them outwards, releasing a large tornado which absorbed all of the Stun Spore and shot straight up into Beautifly. She fell to the ground, injured from the powerful Vacuum Wave and paralyzed from her own attack.

"String Shot!" Tori ordered. Beautifly managed to shoot a string of silk at Tyrogue, immobilizing him as well. Tyrogue's arms and legs were stuck in the silk and it tried to jerk them free.

"Don't move Tyrogue, stay perfectly still," the sensei said and Tyrogue ceased all movement.

"Beautifly, can you move?" Tori asked. Beautifly struggled to sit up. She was able to move, but barely. "Can you use Tackle?"

"Bee," Beautifly managed, and flapped her wings. She fluttered up about two feet and flew forward at about fifty percent power. As she got closer to Tyrogue, she gained a little more strength.

"Do it now," the sensei said. Beautifly was almost to it. Tyrogue slowly raised one arm, stretching the silk, and Beautifly flew straight into it.

"Now, finish it off with Bullet Punch!" the sensei ordered. Tyrogue's fist turned red and he brought his arm back down, nailing Beautifly in the back and knocking her out.

"Beautifly!" Tori cried. She ran to her fallen Pokemon and scooped her up into her arms.

"Tori," the sensei began, "you don't train nearly as much as you should. Your Pokemon will never reach their potential at this rate. You must sharpen their skills and power much more. You also seem a bit timid, even when you're battling. Don't be afraid to go all out. Don't be afraid to be strong. You have the potential to be quite the trainer. You have the ability to think ahead and anticipate your opponent's actions. Your combinations are flawless and overall you're a really quick thinker. You just need more power and more drive."

"I know," Tori said, looking away. "I know what I need to work on, but I just can't. I'm a terrible trainer, and my Pokemon deserve better!"

"Bee..." Beautifly said, flying out of Tori's arms and landing on her head to comfort her.

"Tori..." Candace said quietly. Tori was crying now.

Tori continued, "I will never even come close to being as good as-"

"NONSENSE!" the sensei shouted. Tori gasped. "You have potential far greater than that person of whom you speak! You just need to believe in yourself like your friends believe in you! Don't give up on yourself just yet."

Tori fell silent and looked away. Candace thought for a minute: "She's been acting strange ever since...

"_Rumor has it…the coordinator Lacey is entered in that contest!"_

"_Shut up!"_

"_I know!"_

_The two girls giggled and walked away._

"_Lacey?" Candace asked, cocking her head. She then turned to Tori, who was looking down. Tori just shrugged and looked away, but she looked like she knew more than claimed to know. It was hard to tell how she felt about the subject though. _

"Who exactly _is _Lacey?" Candace wondered.

"Th-Thank you, sensei," Tori said, still looking down. She turned around and headed towards the door. "I need some alone time..." she said to her friends and left the room, as well as the dojo.

"Your friend feels a lot of pressure as a trainer, but that's not my story to share. She will tell you when she is ready. Now come, let us train in my dojo for the remainder of the day. I feel you've earned that privilege," the sensei said and left the room. His pupils and the trainers followed silently.

They spent the rest of the day training with all of their Pokemon and learning the lessons of the wise old man. It was a lot of hard work but all in all, they had a blast and really improved their skills and their knowledge. It was late at night when they left and the Pokemart was closed. Candace began to panic.

"Will you calm down?" Daniel said. "I'm sure she's fine. Just come back in the morning."

"But she's just a baby and she needs her mommy. What if she thinks I abandoned her?" Candace sobbed.

"Then you'll just have to make it up to her!" Kyle said optimistically.

"I didn't even get to tell her goodnight!" Candace whined.

"It's okay!" Daniel insisted. With a lot of struggle, the two boys managed to get Candace to come back to the hotel with them where they found Tori sitting on her bed. She was stroking Swablu, who was asleep in her lap. Candace's face lit up.

"Shhh..." Tori said. Everyone got ready for bed quietly and Candace put Swablu back into her ball before they went to sleep.

The next morning, the trainers all slept in, and Eevee was the first to wake up for once. She decided to wait on the balcony until the others woke up. They wouldn't be awake for another two hours, however. When they awoke on their own, Eevee was gone.

"Has anyone seen Eevee?" Candace asked when they all finally woke up and noticed that Eevee was nowhere to be found.

"Haven't seen her..." Daniel said.

"Me neither," Tori added. Kyle simply frowned.

"Tori!" Candace exclaimed, nearly forgetting about Eevee. "How are you feeling? Are you okay?"

"Yes. I'm much better now," Tori assured. "Oh! The man at the Pokemart said that Swablu's Aerial Ace hasn't been perfected yet, but something came up, so he can't tutor her anymore for now. He gave me this to give to you..."

"Hm?" Candace asked. Tori handed her a folded piece of paper.

"They're instructions," Tori said. "They'll tell you how to perfect Swablu's Aerial Ace."

"Well that was nice of him," Candace said. "Now, we have to find Eevee."

The four trainers walked through the city, asking anyone they saw if they had seen an Eevee that morning. Following the directions that people gave them, they eventually came to the edge of the city, where another person gave them directions out into the wilderness.

"Why would Eevee leave like that?" Candace wondered, worry obvious in her voice.

"She wouldn't," Daniel replied. "There's got to be a reason for her to go. She wouldn't just up and leave."

After another fifteen minutes of walking or so, the foursome hit paydirt.

"EEEEEEEEEVEEE!" The trainers saw her being chased by a herd of Tauros. The drover was chasing after them on a Rapidash, shouting.

"EEVEE, WHAT DID YOU DO?" Candace shouted.

"She'll be trampled if we don't get her out of there!" Kyle exclaimed.

"Skarmory, go get her!" Daniel ordered, sending out Skarmory. Skarmory swooped down and snatched Eevee up with his talons moments before she would have been trampled, and then returned to the group, dropping the Evolution Pokemon neatly in Candace's arms. Eevee was shaking and sobbing. The Tauros kept going, but the drover stopped.

"Your damn Eevee caused this mess, so you all get to help me round up this herd, ya hear? All thirty of them!" he said.

"S-sorry sir," Candace said.

"'Sorry' isn't going to get my herd back!" the drover said coldly.

"Eevee, this is something Pachirisu would do. Not you," Candace scolded. Eevee sighed. The drover was glaring at them.

"Well, how can we help?" Kyle asked as Daniel returned Skarmory to his ball.

"You're going to follow me to my farm, saddle up some Dodrios and help me get my Tauros back, that's what you're gonna do," the drover said. He clucked his tongue and Rapidash trotted forward. The trainers followed behind quietly. After about five minutes of walking, they were up in the hills, and in front of a beautiful ranch. The drover led them around the back, where several Dodrio were in a corral, already saddled up.

"Those Tauros are headed for the city," the drover said. "We have to stop them, or they'll stampede right through."

"Well then, let's move!" Daniel said, swinging a leg over a Dodrio. The Triple Bird Pokemon stepped forward as Daniel sat down, leaving him to fall flat on his butt. Everyone, including the drover, chuckled. Growling, Daniel stood and jumped onto the Dodrio from behind, gently digging his heels in and spurring the Dodrio into motion. "Of course I get the temperamental one," the boy muttered, as the others mounted their Dodrios.

"Yah!" Daniel shouted, spurring his Dodrio forward and after the Tauros with the others close behind.

"What's the plan?" Candace shouted as they sped over the land.

"Catch up and stop them, or at least turn them away from the city!" Daniel shouted back. "We might have to use Pachirisu!"

"What are you talking about?" Kyle asked as he drew alongside.

Daniel grinned as the dust cloud from the Tauros came into view. "Trust me."

The group caught up with the rampaging herd, and Candace pulled Pachirisu's ball and attempted to send him out. Nothing happened.

"PACHIRISU!" Candace screamed angrily. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU WHEN I FIND YOU!"

"He must have done this, and Eevee went after him to keep him out of trouble!" Daniel said. Candace looked at Eevee for a moment, an apology clear in her expression.

"That's nice and all, but now what?" Tori yelled.

Daniel shrugged, turning to Candace. "Your turn!"

"We have to get ahead and build a blockade!" Candace said. Daniel nodded.

Holding onto the Dodrio with his knees, he pulled a pair of Pokeballs from his belt and shouted, "Skarmory! Totodile! Come on out!" Both Pokemon came out, Totodile landing back in Daniel's arms and grabbing hold of his shirt. Skarmory flew overhead. "Skarmory," Daniel ordered, "fly ahead. Use Steel Wing to knock down some trees in front of the entrance to the city. Build a wall!" Skarmory screeched an answer and flew ahead. The five spurred their Pokemon on, racing ahead of the herd and bringing the entrance of the city into view. Skarmory had knocked down several trees to make a makeshift barricade. However, the Flying-type was nowhere to be seen. Skidding to a stop in front of the wall, the five jumped off their mounts.

"Totodile, use Water Gun!" Daniel ordered. "Dig a trench in front of the wall." Totodile fired high-pressure water and broke up the dirt, digging a trench in front of the wall.

"You think this is going to work?" Candace asked.

"I sure hope it does," Daniel said. "Kyle, do you think Pikachu has enough power to stop these things?"

"We can try," Kyle said uncertainly, sending out Pikachu. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Pikachu strained and fired a Thunderbolt, dropping a pair of Tauros in their tracks. "Again!" Kyle shouted. Another pair of Wild Bull Pokemon dropped, unconscious, but the majority of the herd was still charging.

"It's not enough," Daniel said, pulling Gabite's ball from his belt.

"Wait…" Candace said. "What's that sound?"

"I don't hear anything," Tori said.

"It sounds like whistling," Kyle said.

"What's that?" Candace said, pointing at a dot in the sky that was rapidly growing larger.

"It's a bird!" Tori said.

"It's a plane!" Kyle said.

"No," Daniel said, trying not to laugh. "It's Pachirisu!" Skarmory had apparently left to find Pachirisu and had brought the hyperactive Pokemon back. At the moment, Skarmory had Pachirisu by the tail and was in a flat-out dive. There were sparks coming from Pachirisu's cheeks.

"Skarmory! Drop him over the herd!" Daniel shouted to his Pokemon. Skarmory banked, diving straight down towards the pack. "Drop him now!" Skarmory released the Electric-type, sending him shooting downwards as Skarmory banked away, flying for all he was worth.

"Pachirisu USE DISCHARGE NOW!" Candace screamed.

"-!" The Electric-type bellowed as he used Discharge with more power than he ever had before. The flash blinded the trainers, and there was a world-ending crash.

"Are we dead?" Candace asked nobody in particular, rubbing her eyes. She had gotten knocked down somehow.

"Feels like Heaven to me," Daniel snarked from underneath her.

"Oh!" Candace jumped to her feet, embarrassed. "Sorry about that!"

"Don't sweat it," Daniel said, standing and dusting himself off. "How did we survive, though?" The dust cleared, and Kyle whooped.

Standing in front of the trainers was Mime Jr., arms outstretched, a Barrier stretching across the road and holding back a mass of unconscious Tauros. Mime Jr. dropped the Barrier and swayed, exhausted. Kyle caught him before he hit the ground and cradled him in his arms. "Easy, buddy," Kyle said to his first Pokemon. "Daniel…" Wordlessly, the older boy handed him a small pouch. Kyle unzipped it to find several Berries inside, which he fed to Mime Jr.

"He'll be fine," Daniel said. "I'm worried about Pachirisu, though." The five moved into the blast zone, looking for the Electric-type. "Pachirisu, where aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaare ?" Daniel called. A blue and white tail poked up from under an unconscious Tauros, and the five rushed over. The drover and Daniel grunted as they lifted the two-hundred-pound Pokemon, and Candace gently pulled Pachirisu out from under him.

"Pachirisu!" Candace said, gently shaking him. "Are you okay?" Pachirisu didn't respond, and Candace began to panic. "Pachirisu, wake up! Please!" She felt a pair of hands close around her shoulders and turned to Daniel.

"He'll be okay," Daniel said. "He's just drained. He gave that Discharge everything he had."

"How do we get him better?" Kyle asked. Daniel grinned.

"I have an idea."

Ten minutes later, Daniel was at the top of a telephone pole, clipping a pair of jumper cables to the high-tension line. "Alright!" The boy shouted. "Now clip the red one onto his tail, and the other one onto his left ear!"

Candace gently closed the black clip around Pachirisu's ear, and the Pokemon's eyes shot open. After a few minutes, Daniel unclipped the cables and shimmied down the pole. "Pachirisu?" Candace said tentatively, taking one of the Pokemon's paws in her hand. "Are you okay?"

There was a crackling sound, and Candace suddenly had several thousand volts of electricity flowing through her body as Pachirisu sprang up, cheering.

"I think he will recover," Daniel said dryly.

"I'd thank you if this wasn't all your fault," the drover said.

"Grumpy old man...It's not my fault you didn't make your stalls Pachi-proof," Candace thought to herself with a scowl.

"And if I didn't have to somehow lug thirty Tauros back to my ranch..." he added.

"Okay, well maybe that was my fault..." Candace thought to herself.

"I can get them all back to your ranch!" Kyle offered.

"And just how do you think you're going to manage that?" the drover asked.

"Mime Jr. knows Confusion!" Kyle said excitedly. Mime Jr. was weakened and even still, his Confusion wasn't strong enough to send a whole herd flying, so he chucked them individually. He would take breaks every so often because he was tired, but he got the job done eventually. While he was doing that, the trainers introduced themselves and the drover asked that they just call him Drover. When Mime Jr. was almost done, Drover took off to make sure that the Tauros went into their proper stalls. Mime Jr. sent the last Tauros flying and they all took off for the Ranch. When they got there, Drover was in a panic and there were unconscious Tauros laying all over the place.

"Now what?" Candace asked. Daniel shrugged.

"I know!" Tori said. "Lapras come on out and use Ice Beam!"

"Laaaah!" Lapras sang when she came out. She made a path of ice so that they could slide the Tauros to the stalls with ease. It took a long time to do it and they only got about eighteen of the Tauros into their stalls before the Tauros started to regain consciousness. Drover drove the rest of the Tauros into their stalls like a pro.

"Why was it so easy this time?" Tori asked. "I mean why couldn't you herd them like that earlier?"

"They're calmer now..." Drover said.

"Yeah, Pachirisu probably agitated them somehow..." Candace said, glaring at Pachirisu.

"Chi-pah," Pachirisu said smiling.

~_~_~  
Author Notes:

Read and review please. Starting with this chapter, I now have a word quota of at least 5,000 words in a chapter. xD Although it's getting easier to fill em up.


	18. CH 18 Beautiful Stranger

**Chapter 18: Beautiful Stranger**

In attempt to kill time, the trainers spent the rest of their time before the contest wandering around the city, training, and generally goofing off. Tori and Candace registered for the contest as soon as they could and then the four trainers headed to the museum next door. The museum helped Kyle bring new meaning to the term 'bored to tears' and both Candace and Tori agreed that a contest dome would have been much better. Swablu still hadn't perfected Aerial Ace but was getting better at it with every attempt. Candace set up a target on a trash can in an alley next to the hotel. She stuck two sticks in the ground and tied a string to the tip of each one. Swablu had to dive under it and swerve back up to hit the trash can. This proved to be quite difficult and she would often hit the trash can, just below the target, or miss the trash can completely and crash into a wall. The sound of Swablu's beak piercing the trash can or the sound of her body hitting a wall would often create a slight disturbance but wouldn't get Candace into too much trouble; people simply gathered to see what the noise was. It was difficult for the trainers and their Pokemon to keep out of trouble, especially for Pachirisu, but they managed to behave themselves until, finally, it was the morning of the contest. The coordinators needed four Pokemon each, so Kyle lent Teddiursa to Tori for the contest. There were a couple of trailers next to the contest arena where the coordinators waited and got dressed. Candace was sitting in front of the mirror, trying to brush out her socket hair and Pachirisu was sitting on the ground next to her looking guilty.

"Pachirisu, I'm not going to let you perform if you can't behave!" Candace snapped. "You promised to behave! Look what you did! We're up soon and my hair's a complete mess!"

"I dare you to go out there like that," Kyle said, giggling.

"I will not!" she snapped. She glared at her hair and started to panic. "What am I gonna do?"

"Vui?" Eevee said, perking her ears. Someone was coming. They heard the clatter of high heels entering the trailer. Candace couldn't see who it was from the way the mirror was positioned but everyone in the room was silent. Someone took the brush out of Candace's hand and she felt a cool mist of a nice-smelling hair product and then a couple strokes from her brush. Candace looked at her hair in the mirror and it was perfect.

"There you go," the person said. Candace turned around.

"Hey thanks!" she said, and then fell silent at the sight of the person standing there.

A young woman stood before them. She was older than all of them were, but not too old, maybe twenty. She had dark brown hair, a little bit lighter than Daniel's, and lavender eyes. She was wearing a smooth, metallic pink, silk dress that flowed around her body, yet elegantly defined her feminine curves. The light pink emphasized her fair skin, and it was very long, so her shoes couldn't be seen, but they were probably just as pretty. All in all, this woman was absolutely gorgeous. She smiled, a beautiful smile, and said with a soft voice, "The name's Lacey, by the way."

"H-hi, Lacey," Candace said, a little intimidated for some reason.

"You're on next, you know," Lacey said.

"AHH!" Candace cried, panicked. She called Pachirisu back and raced outside. Her friends walked out of the trailer to watch, but Lacey stayed behind.

"Give it up for Neon City's recent contest-winner, Candace!" Emma announced.

"Pachirisu and Growlithe! Let's go!" Candace cheered as she sent the two out. They came out, surrounded in a puff of glittery smoke from the two seals of their balls. The smoke faded and Growlithe was in a battle stance with a cute little Pachirisu on his head, smiling.

"Hm, so that means she's battling with Eevee and Swablu if she makes it to the next round," Daniel said.

"But…Swablu just hatched. Does she know what she's doing?" Tori asked.

"I'm sure she does!" Kyle cheered.

"Growlithe, use Flame Wheel!" Candace said. Growlithe rolled into a Flame Wheel but remained in the same spot. "Now, Pachirisu, use Quick Attack!" she added. Pachirisu zipped around Growlithe in all different directions, showing off his speed and causing the Flame Wheel to rotate in all different directions.

"Look at that speed!" Emma observed.

"Discharge, Pachirisu!" Candace ordered. Pachirisu zapped the ball of fire and the electricity danced all around it, swirling in the different directions that the Flame Wheel was rotating in.

"She's off to a pretty good start!" Kyle said.

"Yep, and now for the finish…" Tori said. Growlithe came out of the Flame Wheel, spinning, and the flames and blue sparks flew away from him and faded.

"Now Pachirisu, use Bide! And Growlithe, use Flamethrower," Candace said. Pachirisu saw something shiny in the distance and was way too excited to remember his promise to behave.

"Chiiiiii!" he cheered and raced off.

"Oh no!" Candace shouted. "Pachirisu, come back!"

"Uh oh…" Daniel said.

"Pachirisu!" Candace screamed. Emma walked over and put a hand on Candace's shoulder as the three judges whispered to each other.

"Ahem," Contesta said, clearing his throat. "Sorry to say, but this is a double contest. Since Pachirisu is no longer here, we're going to have to cut you short. We're not going to disqualify you though, so you still might have a chance to continue to the next round…"

"I understand," Candace said sadly, returning Growlithe, and left the arena.

"Next up is Tori!" Emma began. "Take the stage…er…dirt arena, my dear!"

"Good luck, Tori," Candace said, smiling.

"Thanks," Tori said and walked out. Pachirisu, who had finally remembered his promise, came slinking back shamefully and tried to kiss up to his trainer by acting as cuddly as he could while, at the same time, looking as sad as he could. Candace returned him to his ball without saying anything to him, still angry.

"It's show time, Lapras and Teddiursa!" Tori cheered, sending out the two. They both had the same seal on their Pokeballs, so they came out in a massive cloud of glitter and stood next to each other.

"YAYYYYY TEDDIRUSA!" Kyle cheered. Teddiursa looked around and saw all the people watching him and hugged Tori's leg in fear.

"Hey, it's alright," she said, petting his head. "I was nervous my first time too!"

"Teh…Dee!" Teddiursa said happily and jumped onto Lapras' back.

"Good! Now use Ice Beam, Lapras!" Tori ordered. Lapras opened her mouth and a light blue orb formed inside it. She charged it up for a bit before several light blue beams shot out from it, freezing the entire floor of the arena. As she did this, Teddiursa climbed up her neck to her head, leaped onto the ice, and skated around. He skated in all different directions, jumping up to spin, landing perfectly, and performing all sorts of figure skating moves. Lapras used Ice Beam to make obstacles such as ramps for him to jump over or slide up and spin back down. The judges and Emma cooed over his cuteness and commented on how skilled Lapras was for being able to hold Ice Beam for so long. Finally, Teddiursa slowed and turned around, swiftly, to face Lapras.

"That sure looked fun!" Emma exclaimed. "I wonder what's next!"

"Ice Shard! Focus Punch!" Tori ordered when Teddiursa came to a stop. Lapras slid forward, and stopped in the middle of the arena. Then she opened her mouth and formed a light blue shard while Teddiursa's right fist began to glow white. Lapras tilted her head up and shot the shard into the air and Teddiursa jumped up and smashed it with his Focus Punch. Smaller shards rained down around the arena as Teddiursa landed on Lapras' head and put both paws in the air to pose. The shards of ice collected sunlight as they fell and were sparkling. Lapras sang out loudly as if to say "Tada!"

"It's gorgeous!" Emma observed.

"Remarkable!" the three judges exclaimed together.

After being applauded and complimented, Tori called the two back and joined the others.

"Now! Last, but most certainly not least: our final entry! Give it up for Grand Festival _Champion_ LACEY!" Emma announced.

"Champion?" Candace echoed and at that moment, gave up all hope of winning this contest. The woman with the beautiful lavender eyes emerged from the trailer, walking passed the trainers, and took her spot in the arena. The crowd screamed and applauded wildly.

"Do you want someone to defrost the arena?" Emma asked.

"No, it's fine. Kirlia, and Hitmontop, give it your all," Lacey said softly as she tossed up two Pokeballs. Kirlia came out, twirling as pink rose petals swirled around it. Hitmontop came out, spinning on its head like a top, with pink rose petals swirling around it as well. They both stopped at the same time, eyes focused on the judges, allowing the crowd to go wild again.

"Double Team, Kirlia," Lacey said. Kirlia multiplied and spread out around Hitmontop, creating a perfect circle and leaving Hitmontop right in the middle of it. The Kirlia weren't really close together; they had a few feet distance between them.

"Show them how well you can dance, sweetheart," Lacey continued. The Kirlia brought their arms in close to them as they twirled and every few seconds, they would extend their arms out to form a "T" and they paused for a moment. Then they brought their arms back in and twirled again. They continued to do this while moving counterclockwise so the circled rotated.

"Who knew that Kirlia could ice skate?" Emma exclaimed.

"I like how Lacey can use the field to her advantage," Nurse Joy commented. "She didn't know until just now that it would be icy!"

"Now let's show them how well you can spin, Hitmontop," Lacey said. Hitmontop began to spin like a top again, but he went clockwise.

"This is so well-rehearsed, their timing is remarkable!" Sukizo commented.

"So is their balance," Contesta added. "That ice is slippery!"

"Now let's use Confusion, Kirlia," Lacey said, smiling. The Kirlia, still spinning and moving counterclockwise, raised their arms to form a "V" and their eyes glowed blue. Hitmontop rose slowly, still spinning until it was about twenty feet off the ground.

"Teleport," Lacey added. The Pokemon all continued what they were doing, but the Kirlia added something new: they would disappear every few seconds and appear again a moment later.

"That Kirlia has wicked skills," Candace said.

"Yea…talk about multi-tasking!" Kyle said. Tori had nothing to say and just looked down. She didn't want to watch it anymore.

"She…always…gets more attention than me…she always does better than me…" Tori thought to herself. "Always…" And at that moment, she remembered what had happened all those years ago…

_It was around springtime. Tori was about five years old and she was standing in front of a Cherry Blossom Tree, crying. Lacey, who was a teenager at that time was standing in front of her with a Ralts at her side, and they were both trying to comfort the little girl._

"_Take me with you…" Tori sobbed._

"_I…can't," Lacey said sadly._

"_Why not?" Tori asked, looking up at the teenager, pleadingly._

"_Because…I think it would be better if I went by myself," Lacey said._

"_Better for you…" Tori said bitterly._

"_You're way too young to be going out and traveling and I don't want to be held responsible if something happens to you. In addition to that, I need some time alone for a while. Can't you understand that? Please don't make this hard on the both of us," Lacey said softly._

"_FINE! GO! I'M NEVER TALKING TO YOU OR ANYONE ELSE AGAIN! AND I'M NOT YOUR FRIEND ANYMORE NEITHER!" Tori screamed and rushed off._

"_Tori!" Lacey called after her._

"That…I've completely forgotten about _that_…I'm not…still mad at her…Am I? Is that why I'm so bitter? It can't be…that's silly…I'm just scared…She's such an amazing coordinator…How can I ever be that good? And my parents…they're expecting more from me…they told me I can be better than her…but she's setting a bar that I can't possibly live up to…that sensei was wrong. I don't have the potential to be even half as good as she is…" Tori thought to herself.

While Tori had been in a daze, Lacey had finished her performance and the judges were deciding which trainers should move on to the next round. Candace had Growlithe defrost the arena to make the battles easier. After a few minutes, Contesta cleared his throat.

"And those continuing to the next round are Lacey, of course! As well as Sasha and Jordan, and…" he trailed off. Candace and Tori realized that only one of them would be continuing to the next round…or worse…neither. They held hands tightly.

"Tori!" Contesta announced. Tori looked shocked and Candace sighed, but smiled.

"In the first match, we'll have Jordan versus Tori and in the second match, Lacey versus Sasha!" Nurse Joy announced. Tori and Jordan walked into the arena and positioned themselves.

"Makuhita and Shinx, come on out!" Jordan ordered as he tossed up two Pokeballs. The two Pokemon came out and stood side-by-side, surrounded by lightning bolts and blue confetti from the ball seals.

"Flaaffy, Beautifly, show time!" Tori shouted and sent them both out. Flaaffy came out, surrounded in hearts that swirled together with the tiny star-shaped discs from Beautifly's ball capsule. Beautifly perched on Flaaffy's head as they awaited orders.

"Shinx, use Charge. Makuhita, use Focus Energy!" Jordan ordered. Sparks surrounded Shinx's body as Makuhita crossed its arms and became shrouded in a blue aura.

"Flaaffy, use Light Screen. Beautifly, use Harden," Tori said. Flaaffy raised her arms and a yellow cube appeared, surrounding both her and Beautifly, who tensed up her body.

"Good idea, Tori," Lacey thought to herself. She was leaning against a tree on the opposite side of the arena from Candace, Kyle, and Daniel. She continued her thought: "Jordan's trying to up his Pokemon's power. Light screen is going to cut the damage inflicted from Makuhita's Fighting attacks and Shinx's Electric attacks and Harden is just going to raise Beautifly's defense. Not to mention it looks pretty good…I've noticed something; ya know…why haven't you made eye contact with me? You know I'm here…are you still…mad…at…me?"

"_FINE! GO! I'M NEVER TALKING TO YOU OR ANYONE ELSE AGAIN! AND I'M NOT YOUR FRIEND ANYMORE NEITHER!" Tori screamed and rushed off._

"That was the last thing you ever said to me…" Lacey said out loud, too quiet for anyone to hear. She thought for a bit more, then frowned and looked back at the battle. While she had been thinking, Tori had gotten the upper hand of this battle and it was almost over.

"Flaaffy, use Power Gem! Beautifly, Silver Wind!" Tori ordered. Flaaffy formed a small, orange ball of energy and tossed it forward. As it flew, it got bigger and bigger. Beautifly flapped her wings, and decorated it with her Silver Wind. Jordan told his Pokemon to counter it, but they failed. They were engulfed by the moves, and Contesta called the match.

"Next up is Lacey and Sasha!" Emma announced. The two coordinators on the field called their Pokemon back and parted. Lacey and another girl positioned themselves. Sasha looked terrified.

"Skitty, Roselia let us dazzle them," Lacey said softly and tossed two Pokeballs into the air. Both Pokemon came out surrounded by pink rose petals.

"Solrock and Dewgong, let's do this!" Sasha cheered as she sent out her two Pokemon. One came out surrounded by red confetti and the other came out surrounded by blue confetti. "Solrock, use Fire Spin! Dewgong, use Aqua Jet!"

The Solrock shot a vortex of fire from its mouth, and Dewgong shot through the center of it. Its body was surrounded by water, as well as steam from the water and fire touching.

"That looks kind of cool," Kyle noted. Emma made a similar comment and the judges watched silently.

"Skitty, use Fake Out. Roselia, Petal Dance," Lacey said. Skitty charged forward at the incoming Dewgong and once they were really close to each other, it clapped. This created a wave of air that sent Dewgong flying backwards. Meanwhile, Roselia had begun twirling gracefully. Soon, pink petals were shooting out of the roses on its hands. The petals glittered as they shot both Solrock and Dewgong, super effective against each of them.

"Dewgong, use Aurora Beam! Solrock, use Sunny Day!" Sasha ordered. Lacey smiled. A rainbow-colored, icy beam shot from Dewgong's horn while Solrock shot a white orb into the sky that caused the sun to get brighter.

"Bad move," Lacey said, still smiling. "Skitty, use Dig. Roselia, Solar Beam!"

"Oh no!" Sasha squeaked. Skitty dug underground, avoiding the Aurora Beam and Roselia lifted her arms. A white ball of energy formed from each rose bud and Roselia brought her arms together and shot them off immediately because of the intense sunlight. The Solar Beams merged into one beam and disintegrated the Aurora Beam, hitting Dewgong as well.

"Dewgong, hang in there!" Sasha yelled. Dewgong was injured but able to continue.

"Solar Beam!" Lacey and Sasha yelled together. Solrock shot a bright white beam from its mouth and Roselia crossed her arms to form a "K." The Solar Beam from her lower bud shot towards Solrock and the other shot towards the sky.

"Now Skitty!" Lacey yelled. Skitty popped out of the ground below Dewgong and sent it flying into the Solar Beam that Roselia shot into the sky. Solrock's Solar Beam collided with Roselia's other Solar Beam and was overpowered. Solrock was hit and fell to the ground and Dewgong fell on top of him, defeated by Solar Beam as well.

"She's amazing!" Candace shouted.

"She didn't lose a single point…" Tori thought to herself. "I can't do this!"

"Tori..." Kyle said. Tori gasped and looked at him. He continued: "You're crying again! Come on! You can do it! I know you can!" he cheered. Tori wiped her tears away and nodded with a fierce smile.

"Lacey is the winner! Now we move onto the finals! Tori, come on back!" Emma announced. Tori came back to the arena.

"Flaaffy, Beautifly! It's show time!" Tori shouted. She sent them out and they came out the same way they did before.

"There's something different about you, Tori," Lacey said.

"Beautifly, fly away! Flaaffy, use Discharge!" Tori ordered, ignoring her opponent.

"Skitty, use Dig. Roselia, Solar Beam one more time!" Lacey ordered. Skitty dug underground as Flaaffy fired Discharge, and Roselia shot at Flaaffy with Solar Beam but was still electrocuted by Discharge.

"Duck!" Tori shouted. Flaaffy dove forward and slid against the ground, narrowly escaping the Solar Beam.

"Her confidence..." Lace thought to herself. "That's what's different...it's missing..."

"The sunlight's dying down," Candace observed.

"Oh good," Daniel said. "Now Lacey won't be able to use Solar Beam as quickly. That levels the playing field."

"I don't know what to do," Tori thought to herself. She looked up and Beautifly was too high up to be seen. "Skitty is underground somewhere..."

"Roselia, use Ingrain," Lacey said. Roselia planted roots into the ground and began to heal from the nutrients she absorbed with them.

"Beautifly use a Tackle-Silver Wind combo!" Tori ordered, and then made eye contact with Flaaffy. They both nodded.

"Beautifly's coming, Roselia! So get ready with Solar Beam!" Lacey ordered. Roselia raised her rose buds and began to gather sunlight. "Skitty, now!"

"Flaaffy!" Tori shouted, shakily. Flaaffy jumped out of the way as Skitty shot out of the ground. Beautifly was diving down, rotating amongst a swirling mass of shimmering powder. She wasn't going for Roselia, however, she dove down and collided with Skitty as it came out of the ground.

"MMMMEEEEEYAAAAA!" Skitty cried as she crashed into the ground.

"Not bad, Tor...Even I didn't see that coming. I have the ability to turn this around, but...I don't think I will…I want to battle the old you the next time we meet, so you need some more confidence," Lacey thought to herself and then smiled nervously. "Come to think of it…It might even be my fault that you're so self-conscious. I know that all you've ever wanted to do is impress me," she continued in her thoughts. Then some memories flashed through her mind of Tori as a little girl: showing off her marble collection, holding up a fidgeting Pidgey that had a broken wing that she had supposedly fixed, a detailed painting of an Ampharos that she had spent hours working on, and then an image of Tori with a big, confident grin on her face after getting in trouble for trying to take some fruit off of her neighbor's tree because Lacey had dared her to. Lacey looked down and smiled to herself.

"Morning Sun!" Tori commanded. Beautifly began to glow and sparkle as she drifted up above until she was about ten feet away from the ground. The bulb on Flaaffy's tail was glowing and sparking.

"That Morning Sun is pretty, but what was the point?" Kyle asked.

"What? You don't think dive bombing Skitty hurt Beautifly?" Daniel asked.

"Oh, I guess you're right..." Kyle said.

"Beautifly, use String Shot. Flaaffy, use Thunder Wave!" Tori said. Beautifly shot a string of silk at Roselia's rose buds, sticking them to the ground. Flaaffy released sparks from the bulb on her tail that shocked and paralyzed Skitty.

"Uh-oh! What _will_ our champion do now?" Emma wondered out loud.

"Skitty, use Assist!" Lacey said, looking up and still smiling. Skitty managed to raise her paw, creating a glowing white orb at the tip of it.

"What's Assist?" Candace asked.

"The user can use a move that one of its team mates knows. So it might use Hitmontop's Rolling Kick or Kirlia's Teleport or any of the moves that any of Lacey's Pokemon know," Daniel explained. "It's sort of a grab bag."

"But in this case, it used Rest," Candace said with a frown.

"Yeah. You could get Hyper Beam, you could get Splash," Daniel replied. "It's a risk some trainers are willing to take." Skitty was curled up on the ground, snoring quietly. All her wounds were healed, but neither of Lacey's Pokemon could attack now.

"Perfect, now for a little white lie…it's for the best," Lacey thought to herself. "Well that's it then," she said out loud. "Nothing else I can do now."

"What?" Tori whispered. The crowd was silent and Emma blinked.

"Well...since Lacey forfeits, Tori wins!" Emma announced. The crowd was still speechless, but Tori's friends were cheering. Lacey looked at them and smiled.

"Nice job out there, Tor," Lacey said, turning her head back to Tori and giving her a wink.

"T-thank you, Lacey. You too," Tori said, blushing.

"You're much better than you think you are, Tori," Lacey began, "so please remember that for the next time we battle, because I won't go so easy on you."

"She let me win..." Tori realized, but remained silent. Lacey called her Pokemon back, said good-bye to the judges, and left with Emma. The two women were conversing about something, but no one heard what it was about.

"Tori?" Contesta said. Tori turned her gaze from Lacey to the judge. "I have your ribbon."

He handed her a brown and blue ribbon and her face lit up.

"We present to you the Aggrestic City Ribbon!" Nurse Joy exclaimed.

"You were absolutely remarkable!" Mr. Sukizo added.

"Thank you so much!" Tori said, with much more confidence and certainty than usual. She practically bounced back to her friends. "I won, guys, I won!"

"Congratulations, Tori!" Kyle said, hugging the girl. Her face turned bright red and she fainted in his arms. When she awoke, she was lying on the ground and Candace was fanning her with a small fan she had found in one of the trailers. Most of the audience had left and the judges were chatting nearby.

"Get a little too excited?" Candace asked.

"I um…what happened?" Tori asked.

"I was just saying well-done!" Kyle whined. Tori looked puzzled and Daniel reminded her of her victory.

"Yeah, congratulations," Candace said, with slightly less enthusiasm. Tori didn't mind – Candace was allowed some professional jealousy.

"You did it, kid," Daniel said. He paused a moment. "But we need to talk."

"What do you mean, Daniel?" Tori asked, nervous.

"Next chance we get, you and I are going to start training," he said.

"T-training?" the girl stuttered.

"No, not _t-training_, training," Daniel said, obviously fighting a smile. "You hesitated in there. That's not a problem, but it's also not you. I know your Pokemon have a lot of power, especially Lapras and Flaaffy. Beautifly's not too shabby either. You fight more smoothly than a lot of people I know."

"More smoothly?" Candace asked, confused.

"Candace, one of the problems you ran into when you were fighting the sensei back in the dojo was that you were hesitating to think about what you were going to do next." Candace inhaled to argue but Daniel held up a hand. "Not a bad thing, but I haven't seen Tori do that before. She doesn't think, she _feels_ what she's going to do next. I do that too, but not as well. Tori just needs seasoning, is all," Daniel said and gave her a wry look. "That, and to strengthen her Pokemon."

"Alright then," Tori said, slightly more sure of herself. "Next time we get the chance, we'll train, okay?"

Daniel nodded. "Now, we should get moving," he said. "We're headed to Cava City next." As he spoke, he opened his map and spread it out on the ground. There were two major sections – one in the northeast, the other in the southwest. "Aggrestic City is here, in the south. As you can see, Cava City is across this half of the region."

"Have you been there?" Kyle asked.

"Yeah. Not my favorite city, but it's a nice place to visit," Daniel said. "Kyle, you'll be happy to know that there is a Gym there."

"Finally, a Gym battle," the boy said. "Who's the Gym Leader?"

"Well, the guy goes by the name of Quake," Daniel said.

"Quake? His name is Quake?" Candace asked. "What's his real name?"

"I don't think anybody but his mother knows his real name," Daniel replied. "He favors Ground-type Pokemon."

"Alright then," Candace said. "How long will it take to get there?"

"If we were to walk overland from here, it could take weeks, maybe even months. However, we're not going to be doing that," Daniel said and traced a finger in a direct line from Aggrestic to Cava. "Like I said before, there's an underground tunnel that leads from here to Cava City. Slices a lot off the time."

"Don't keep us in suspense," Candace said. "How long is it going to take?"

"Well…roughly…two to three weeks," Daniel said and looked like he had something else to say but didn't get to finish.

"Two to three weeks?" Kyle and Candace shouted in unison. Kyle looked excited and Candace looked perturbed.

"Depending on your pace," Daniel replied calmly.

"This is great! Think of all the training we'll do in there!" Kyle exclaimed.

"This is bad! I'm not spending two weeks in an underground tunnel!" Candace complained at the exact same time.

"Well, we don't have a choice," Kyle said. "We gotta get to Cava."

"We're gonna run out of supplies or something!" Candace yelled.

"We can do our shopping now," Kyle suggested. "Get stocked up ahead of time."

"I prefer to travel light, not with two weeks' worth of supplies – more even. Gotta get extra just in case shit happens," Candace argued.

"Well actually," Daniel began but Candace walked away ranting. Then Kyle and Mime Jr. ran off in the direction of the hotel to get their things ready, leaving Daniel and Tori standing there.

"Fine…I won't tell you," Daniel muttered. Then he turned to Tori.

"Hey Tori? I've been wondering…" he said. She looked up at him and cocked her head. He continued, "Who _is _Lacey?"

"A really famous coordinator," she said.

"Well yea, I got that much, but how do you know her? I mean you obviously have some sort of conflict with her," he argued.

"You noticed?" she asked.

"Well it's pretty obvious. Even the sensei knew something about it. Candace doesn't want to upset you so she hasn't said much about it, but Kyle is just oblivious…I, however, wanna know. What did she do to you?" he asked.

"N-nothing…" she said.

"Oh come on," he said.

"I don't wanna talk about it! It's stupid!" she said.

"It can't be that stupid if it's bothering you so much," he argued.

"I'm fine," she said.

"I don't believe that, but whatever. I won't bother you about it anymore…" he said.

"Sorry," she said.

"Don't worry about it," he replied.

"CHI PAH!" Pachirisu cheered, racing by the two.

"Great," Daniel said. "She really needs to learn how to control that little bastard."

"I refuse to leave today!" Candace shouted, walking back to the two.

"What's _your_ problem?" Daniel asked.

"If we're going on some big long journey through some underground tunnel, then I want a full night's rest and then leave tomorrow morning," she demanded. Daniel sighed.

"I agree," Tori said, and the two girls linked arms and walked away, leaving Daniel by himself.

"Why do I even bother?" he asked himself, out loud. "No one ever wants to listen to me!"

"Chi-pah?" Pachirisu said, walking up to Daniel and tugging on his pants leg.

"Can I help you?" he asked. Pachirisu nodded. "With?" he continued.

"Chi-pah!" Pachirisu said and pointed behind Daniel. He turned around and his eyes bugged out.

"What did you do?" he shouted. One of the trailers was tipped over and Pachirisu was jumping up and down joyfully. Daniel looked at down at him and noticed sparks discharging from his cheeks.

"PACHI!" Pachirisu said.

"Oh no…" Daniel said. Pachirisu zapped him and ran off.

"And I repeat," Daniel said, coughing. "Why do I even bother?"

~_~_~  
Author Notes:

Read and review please. What do you all think about the girls' new rival? Friend or foe?


	19. CH 19 Operation Aerodactyl

**Chapter 19: Operation Aerodactyl**

"Here it is!" Daniel said. They stopped walking and looked ahead to the giant cave mouth before them. There was a ticket booth off to the side, and a sign that side 'Underground Train' next to it.

"There's a train?" Candace asked, dropping all of the supplies that she had bought that morning to prepare for a two-three week hike.

"Yeah, you didn't know that?" Daniel said, shrugging as if it were common knowledge.

"No…" Candace said, as if that should have been obvious. "Why else would I be upset?"

"Well hey, I tried to tell you guys yesterday, but no one let me finish. Anyway, do you really think they expect us to walk for two-plus weeks down in the darkness? The boredom alone could be dangerous," Daniel said.

"N-no," Candace said, and followed Daniel to the booth.

"How many?" the woman at the booth asked. She was old, with curly white hair, a nasal voice, and an attitude that suggested that she hated her job.

"Two adult, two child tickets, please," Daniel replied, handing her a wad of cash. She pressed a few buttons on her ancient computer and four tickets printed out of a slit in the counter. She ripped them out and handed them to Daniel, along with his change. She then gave them all a look that clearly said "Now get the hell out of my hair…" so they continued to the cave.

Inside the cave, there was a low dugout section up against the cave wall with two sets of tracks at the bottom. The rest of the cave was higher than it and lined with lamps and lanterns. A few mountain men were comparing their Geodude and arguing about whose was the most muscular. They saw the trainers walking down into the ditch to the bench next to the tracks where other people were waiting and one of the men yelled out, "wussies!" The trainers ignored him.

"So how long will it take us to get to Cava Town via train?" Candace asked.

"One day, maybe two, if there's a delay…" Daniel said.

"Delay?" Tori echoed.

"Sometimes the Pokemon in here get restless and…er…cause problems for the trains…" Daniel said. "Big, violent problems…now who wants a candy bar?" He held it out for one of the other trainers to take, only to have Mime Jr. jump up and snatch it clean out of his hand.

"Great…" Candace said. Suddenly, the ground began to shake and they heard the train coming. It pulled up and all of the passengers boarded through a door at the front of the train. There were seats going down both sides of the train, with an aisle in the middle. Both sides had windows, but one bank of windows opened directly onto a spectacular view of the cave wall, so it wouldn't be very exciting to sit there. The four trainers all sat by a window on the other side, facing the front of the train and each leaving the seat next to them empty because they all wanted their own window to look through; they wanted to see all of the people and Pokemon walking through the cave. The rest of the passengers loaded, the doors closed and the train took off.

"Welcome aboard, passengers, my name is Rocky, and I'll be your conductor, travel buddy, and justice of the peace for the duration of your trip today. Please remain seated unless you need to use the restroom, which is located towards the front of the car for my…or, uh, your…convenience. Snacks and meals will be served throughout the day, be patient…sometimes I get bored, so I'll let you know when something interesting is going on outside. Please enjoy the ride!" someone announced on the PA. "By the way, the train attendants are pointing out the emergency exits now. If you see me run through any of these doors, please follow me quickly."

All the trainers saw were people at first, and a few Geodude…or oddly shaped rocks. At one point, a Zubat tried to race the train and flew alongside Kyle's window. They all laughed and the Zubat eventually gave up. They also saw a Bonsly riding a Rhyhorn, a group of Machop picking on a Tyrogue, and a Makuhita breaking apart giant boulders.

"I wish we were out there," Kyle said, pouting. "Look at all the Pokemon!"

"Hey, if we were out there, we'd probably get chased by something…" Candace reasoned.

"And when we weren't being chased, we'd be fighting for our lives," Daniel added. Kyle paled.

"Sorry to disrupt you, folks," Rocky announced on the PA, "but if you take a look to your right, you'll see a little fat kid running for his life from a flock of angry Golbat!"

The trainers looked out their window and sighed.

"You know, I kinda feel bad for Chucky," Candace said, "but at least it's not us…I toldja so."

"But then again, he _is_ where he wants to be," Daniel said as if to himself.

"I'm hungry…" Kyle said and asked Candace for an apple. She reached into her bag and pulled out an apple core. Kyle glared.

"I guess…I…ate…it," She said. "But I know I didn't," she thought to herself. The others dug in their packs and were unable to find any food, just empty containers and wrappers.

"Hmm…it seems we've been raided," Daniel said. "By someone very hungry."

"You mean to tell me that we have no food?" Kyle asked, incredulous.

"Relax," Candace said, and pointed. A woman was walking down the aisle with a cart of food. "Lunch!" Candace continued.

"Chi-pah!" Pachirisu cheered. He had apparently popped out of his Pokeball when everyone was distracted. He zipped off, but realized that they were in a train and he couldn't disappear, so he decided to zip up and down the aisle, agitating the other passengers with his obnoxious cheering and occasional electrical…bursts of happiness.

The trainers were served and ate lunch, and then continued to watch out the window. The woman finished serving lunch and was wheeling the cart back to the kitchen when Rocky made another announcement. "Dia, we have a situation. You're needed in the kitchen."

"What now?" The woman with the cart asked and left without the cart. There was a little boy with blond hair and blue eyes sitting a few rows back from the trainers. He was sitting next to his mother and staring at the cart which was left in the middle of the aisle, right next to him.

"Mommy," he began, "the cart's trying to talk to me!"

"That's nonsense," she said dismissively.

"But it is! It's crunching at me!" the boy said. Pachirisu stopped zipping up and down to examine the cart. His tail happened to brush up, under the cloth which covered the cart. Everyone in the train heard a chomp, followed by Pachirisu screaming and shocking the cart. Whatever was holding him by the tail didn't let go and started pulling Pachirisu in.

"Pachirisu!" Candace shouted, lunging forward and grabbing him by the paws. A tug-of-war immediately began with whatever was inside the cart. Eventually, whatever had Pachirisu's tail let go, sending Candace flying back to land on her butt with Pachirisu against her chest, where he promptly zapped her. The blond boy screamed and shoved the cart away. Catching it, Daniel lifted the cover and Kyle peeked inside.

"Oh," the boy said, "it's just a Larvitar!"

The group looked inside, finding a Larvitar sitting in the cart with crumbs around its mouth and an apple in its grasp, staring up at them with a curious expression on its face. Kyle reached out to it, startling it, and caused it to drop its apple.

"Pachi-su!" Pachirisu hissed angrily, grabbing the apple and eating it to avenge his poor tail. Larvitar's eyes swelled with tears.

"Pachirisu! That was not for you!" Candace scolded. "Aw, don't cry, Larvitar!" She said, sitting up. "Tori, hand me my bag."

"Okay," Tori said, and reached for Candace's bag, then tossed it to her. Candace caught it and pulled out a container of Poffins from the front pocket. She took one out and held it out to Larvitar.

"Here you go," she said, smiling. Larvitar waddled over to her, but he didn't pay attention to the Poffin that she was holding out. He instead grabbed the whole container.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Candace said, but it was too late. In an instant, Larvitar had dumped the contents of the container into his mouth and munched them down. Candace opened her mouth, getting ready to scold the Larvitar, but he smiled and hugged her and she sighed.

"Uh…" Rocky said and paused for about thirty seconds. "I'm sorry to say, but there…is no more food…It's all gone. There appears to be a stowaway hiding somewhere on this train…a very hungry stowaway…"

"That would be you, I presume?" Candace said, poking Larvitar in the belly. A panicked expression fell upon his face and he dove under one of the seats, but wasn't small enough to get all the way under, so his rear was sticking out from under it. Obviously not noticing this, he froze completely.

"Hey if you're trying to hide, you might wanna make sure no one can see you," Kyle said with a laugh as he patted Larvitar's bottom. Larvitar squirmed a bit more and managed to squeeze underneath the seat better.

"There ya go," Daniel said, smiling. Candace returned to her seat with Pachirisu.

"If anyone asks, I'm not lying," she said. "I'll rat you out before you could even blink."

"Or devour an entire kitchen of food," Daniel muttered.

"Exactly," Candace said.

"Come on, don't be mean!" Kyle whined. "He's probably homeless and starving."

"No, he's pretty well fed," Candace said. "He's trained that belly to hold a lot. If he was starving, his stomach would have shrunk and he wouldn't be able to eat as much as he has."

"But…" Kyle said, noticing some of the attendants walking down the aisle, questioning people. The other passengers all pointed in the four trainers' direction.

"Great, now we're in trouble," Candace muttered. One of the attendants, the one that had served lunch, approached them.

"So from my understanding, there is a Larvitar aboard this train that was in the food cart and everyone said that it went over here with you. Do you know where it is now?" she asked. Kyle quickly shoved the last Poffin into Candace's mouth so she couldn't say anything.

"Actually, it ran off and entered another car. I don't know where it could be now," he said as Candace chewed slowly, glaring at Kyle. The attendant stared at him, obviously knowing that he was full of shit.

"Well thanks anyway," she said and walked away.

"Phew," Kyle said. "Don't worry Larvitar, we won't let the bad people get you."

"Larv-eh-tar!" the Pokemon said, crawling out from under the seat. He hopped up into the seat next to Candace and Pachirisu glared at him. They both fought over the seat next to her, and she ignored them. Eevee, who was sitting in Candace's lap, shouted at the two quarreling Pokemon because she was trying to sleep. Candace turned her head to look out the window and eventually found herself falling asleep.

"Tori?" Kyle asked. There was no response. "TORI?"

"MIME MIME!" Mime Jr. echoed. Tori didn't respond, Kyle got up and walked over to where she was sitting.

"You're asleep too?" he asked. "What the heck? We got so much sleep last night, how could they possibly be tired?"

"Maybe not so much tired as bored," Daniel said, flipping through a magazine.

"Whatcha doin?" Kyle asked, walking over to Daniel. He plopped down in the seat next to the older boy and leaned over to look at the magazine.

"Just checking out some recent events and news," Daniel said, not looking up.

"Museum Raid in Sinnoh," Kyle read out lout. Daniel was reading an article with that title.

"Yea," he said. "Apparently someone or some people broke into this museum in Sinnoh a few weeks ago and completely trashed the place. Plenty of damage, but nothing was stolen with the exception of one item."

"And what's that?" Kyle asked.

"Have you ever heard of the Legendary Pokemon, Palkia?" Daniel asked.

"No…" Kyle said.

"It's said that it has the ability to control space," Daniel said.

"Like…outer space?" Kyle asked.

"No, like physical space, and such," Daniel clarified.

"Oh…" Kyle said.

"Yeah…so anyway, whoever did this stole something called the Lustrous Orb…Some large stone or mineral or something that has some sort of connection with Palkia and is even said to hold some of Palkia's power," Daniel explained.

"SO THEY CAN PUT THE WHOLE WORLD INTO ANOTHER DIMENSION?" Kyle shouted, extremely alarmed. A few passengers looked up and stared at him.

"Shhhh," Daniel said. "Of course not! That thing might not even do anything, let alone have enough power to do something as extreme as that. He, she, or they probably just wanted to sell it or something." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Although I don't know how they would, any attempt to advertise an auction would probably end in a one-way trip to prison."

"I hope the police catch them," Kyle said, concern still apparent in his voice.

"Hey, don't worry about it kid," Daniel said. "This magazine was printed the day after the theft. I'm sure they've found it by now."

"I sure hope so," Kyle said, frowning. Daniel laughed and turned the page. Kyle stared at the ceiling for a few minutes, worrying about the Lustrous Orb. Then Daniel read another title out loud: "Elite Four Member Eziray Returns from Rigorous Training."

"Hm?" Kyle said, looking over.

"Eziray has been training for a while, ever since the last Pokemon League tournament. I think that's weird because she beat the challenger. Anyway, no one's seen her in months and I guess she's done training now and traveling around Serrano. Hm…maybe we'll run into her," Daniel said.

"That would be _SO_ COOL!" Kyle shouted. "I want to meet an Elite Four member _SO _BAD!"

"What, and battle one?" Daniel said laughing.

"Of course not! I want one to mentor me," Kyle said and launched himself into la-la land. Daniel left him in his dream world and flipped through the pages a few more times. Nothing else seemed very interesting so he set the thing down and looked out the window. There were no people or Pokemon in site so he sighed. Kyle returned to his seat to tell Mime Jr. about the articles. Daniel leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

"And her name's Eziray! And she's a _really_ strong trainer! And we have to impress her if and when we ever meet her! And we're gonna train like crazy from now! And someday…We're gonna beat her!" Kyle rambled excitedly. Mime Jr. listened with just as much enthusiasm until eventually Kyle rambled himself into a deep sleep. Mime Jr. climbed into his lap and went to sleep too. Some time passed.

The trainers and Pokemon were still sound asleep when the train came to a sudden stop. Larvitar flew off of the seat and crashed into the back of Daniel's seat, sending Daniel shooting headfirst into the seat in front of him. Everyone else woke up and looked around, a bit alarmed. The other passengers were worried too and immediately began to chatter away as Daniel swore, holding his forehead.

"What's going on?"

"Is there a problem?"

"When are we going to get going again? I have a meeting…"

"Maybe it's a Pokemon…"

They continued to babble on until Rocky made an announcement on the PA system: "Uh, we're having some technical difficulties at the moment. Hold tight, folks…"

"I have a bad feeling…" Candace said.

"So does Eevee, look!" Kyle exclaimed. Eevee was sitting in Candace's lap, shivering.

"Eevee? You're…" Candace trailed off. Eevee sat up suddenly, ears sticking straight up into the air, and she seemed extremely alarmed about something. Mime Jr. acted the same way and Larvitar cocked his head. All three looked towards the ceiling of the train. Pachirisu ran up from behind and jumped onto Candace's head, sparks discharging from his cheeks. They heard some thudding on the roof, as if someone or something was walking around up there. A final thud boomed; there was now something very heavy up there. There was a pause and someone above the train yelled a command: "Rampardos, use Hyper Beam now!"

"Get down!" Daniel yelled and everyone on the train ducked under their seats. There was a deafening explosion followed by several loud thuds and the large one. The trainers peeked out and saw a hole in the roof. Ten men were now standing in the train next to a Rampardos; they had jumped in through the hole in the roof. These men were wearing the same uniforms as the men who had tried to steal Candace's Swablu egg in Neon City.

"Who…who are you?" a passenger asked timidly.

"We're Team Jurassic…and you are all hostages!" Rampardos' master said. He had a dark brown Mohawk, golden eyes, and he was very tan. He was obviously a higher-up because he had a red patch on his uniform and acted as if he was in charge. Two of the grunts set their bags down and began to prepare and assemble something. Kyle reached for Phanpy's Pokeball, but Candace grabbed his hand.

"Hey!" he whispered.

"Don't be so reckless! Just wait a minute," she snapped quietly.

"She's right," Daniel whispered. "We need to analyze the situation a bit more and come up with a plan. Even though I really want to pummel these guys, we can't just rush into this…that Rampardos looks powerful."

"But so are _our_ Pokemon," Kyle objected, indignantly.

"Kyle! Sit still and just be quiet, okay?" Candace ordered.

The Rampardos's master pulled out a walkie-talkie and spoke into it. "Raptor to Ptera, do you copy?"

"Loud and clear," a female voice replied.

"Phase one of operation Aerodactyl is complete," 'Raptor' said.

"Roger that," 'Ptera' said. "Commence phase two."

"Right!" Raptor said and looked at the grunts. They had finished their preparations: they had fastened a laptop to a stand so they could operate it while standing.

"What's that for…" Tori wondered to herself.

"Well, you heard her!" Raptor boomed. The grunts fumbled nervously, but one of them pressed a key on the laptop and a loud explosion followed. This time, it was outside and way ahead of the train. The explosion carried such power that the ground shook for several moments.

"Gooood afternoon, folks!" a familiar voice said over the PA. "Your conductor, Rocky, is a little…tied up at the moment, so to speak, so I'll be your new conductor for the day. My name is Ptera, that's pronounced 'Terra' not 'Pahterra', and it's spelled with a P and one R."

"Will she just get on with it already?" Raptor mumbled.

"Anyway! As you may or may not know, you're all hostages until our operation is over; we don't want the police sniffing around, so we threatened to blow you all up if any officer sets one foot inside this cave. All you have to do is shut the hell up…oh, and stop cringing under the seats like cowards, it's pathetic! Enjoy the ride!" Ptera briefed.

"Mommy!" the little boy screamed, sobbing. "I don't want to die!"

"Shut up! We're not killing anyone as long as you cooperate!" Raptor yelled. The trainers climbed out from under the seats and sat down in them, glowering at the terrorists. The other passengers slowly and reluctantly did the same. The train rolled forward several yards and stopped again. The grunts disappeared to block every door of the train.

"Me again," Ptera said over the PA. "We're just laying down some tracks. Hold tight."

"They don't need to know, Ptera!" Raptor shouted, as if she could hear him.

"What do we do?" Tori whispered, shakily.

"Get the passengers out of here," Daniel replied.

"How?" Candace asked.

"We need Swablu, Beautifly, and a distraction," Daniel said. Ten minutes passed by as he explained his plan and the train started moving again. It turned left into an opening that had been blown away from the cave wall, and it entered an almost pitch black cavern where there wasn't any trace of life.

"Where are they taking us?" Candace asked.

"It doesn't matter," Daniel said. "Because we're not going with them."

"Right!" Candace, Kyle, and Tori said together with a nod. Candace held out Swablu's ball, aiming it towards the floor behind a seat so she wouldn't be noticed. Tori did the same with Beautifly's ball, and they sent their Pokemon out at the same time. Swablu immediately began cleaning the floor of the train until Candace poked her in the back.

"Put the grunts at the back asleep," Candace whispered. The two Pokemon zipped to the back without being noticed. Swablu landed on a grunts shoulder and sang into his ear, while Beautifly's Sleep Powder rained over the other grunts. An escape route was now possible. Daniel and Pachirisu looked at each other and Daniel nodded.

"CHI-PACHI!" Pachirisu cheered, as if to say, "FINALLY!" He charged forward and jumped onto Raptor's shoulder. He shocked Raptor and snatched his walky-talky before running up the wall and onto Rampardos' head. The grunts who were at the front of the train who hadn't been put to sleep rushed over and Rampardos shook its head vigorously before banging it against the side of the train. Pachirisu ran down its neck and continued to torment them while the trainers rounded up the other passengers and led them to the back of the train.

Daniel sent out Skarmory and Candace sent out Growlithe, instructing them to take the passengers somewhere safe to hide and to protect them until given further orders. The two Pokemon nodded and Kyle slid open the door. The passengers followed the two Pokemon out of the slow-moving train to safety. Suddenly, the train went over a bump, causing the trainers to stumble back and the door slid shut with a loud slam. Team Jurassic looked over and gasped. Pachirisu dove under a seat to hide, leaving the walky-talky behind.

"Rampardos, get ready to use Hyper Beam!" Raptor ordered. Rampardos opened its mouth and a bright ball of energy began to form. "I suggest you call all your Pokemon back and come forward, now, if you want to get out of here in one piece," he threatened. The trainers gritted their teeth and called back all their Pokemon, Eevee and Mime Jr. as well.

"The Larvitar too!" a grunt snapped.

"Huh? Oh him? He's not ours…he's wild," Candace said, looking down at the Larvitar by her side.

"Well if that's the case, we'll have him," Raptor said. Larvitar's eyes swelled with tears and he took a step back. Raptor continued, "Desert Pokemon aren't found in this region, so he was probably released or something. Anyhow, he'd fetch a pretty penny."

"NO!" Candace screamed, but before she could save him, a grunt took out a steel box, pressed a button, and a long net shot out, engulfing Larvitar.

"LAR!" he cried. The grunt pushed the button again and Larvitar was pulled in.

"Hey!" Daniel yelled.

"Let him go, you bullies!" Kyle demanded.

"Pipe down and come forward as we asked, or I'll tell Rampardos to use Hyper Beam!" Raptor threatened again. The trainers came forward and sat back down in their seats, eyes fixed on Larvitar. There was nothing they could do for him though.

"How's it going back there?" Ptera asked through the walky-talky. Raptor picked it up.

"The majority of the hostages have escaped. We have the four who are responsible," Raptor said.

"Well some is better than none. However, the boss won't be very thrilled with you idiots. Ten of you, and you can't even manage to keep some damn hostages on a train? You're pathetic," Ptera lectured. "Over and out."

Raptor threw the walky-talky at the wall in rage, but it didn't break. He looked at the trainers and yelled, "Hear that? I'm going to hear it for this, you rotten little brats! Just sit there and don't dare meddle anymore. In fact, I don't even want to hear a single peep! We don't want to hurt you, but we will if we must!"

"Peep," Daniel muttered.

"!" Larvitar whined.

"What's your problem?" a grunt demanded.

"He's hungry," Candace said, coldly.

"Too bad," the grunt said to Larvitar.

"Pachi," Pachirisu whispered. Everyone must have forgotten about him. Candace looked under her seat and smiled.

"Hey Raptor!" one of the grunts shouted. Candace gasped, thinking he had noticed and she held her breath. Without moving, she glanced up slightly to find that he was just looking at the computer screen, which was beeping loudly. Raptor snatched up his walky-talky again.

"STOP THE TRAIN!" he demanded via walky-talky.

"On it," Ptera replied. The train came to a slow stop.

"Tie them up and take them with us," Raptor ordered. A grunt walked over and tied the trainers hands behind their backs, then everyone detrained.

A woman was standing outside the train, next to the door. She had very straight orange hair that fell below her waist with full bangs in the front. She had split ends that were dyed blond and her eyes were light blue. She was a little short for her age, and very skinny. Her uniform's top, which also had a red patch on it, was cut short, revealing her midriff section, and she had a wicked smile on her face. She looked at the hostages and snickered.

"You let these _children_ make a fool of you, Raptor? How pathetic. The boss is _really_ going to chew you out for this," the woman berated.

"Shut the hell up, Ptera," he snapped.

"Line them up against the rock over there," she instructed. The grunts led the trainers to a large boulder off to the side and sat them down against it.

"Stay put," one of the grunts snapped and then went to join the rest of the team.

"Okay, everyone, get to work," Ptera ordered. All the grunts tossed Pokeballs into the air, releasing an army of Cranidos and Shieldon.

"Rock Smash!" the entire group shouted. All of the Pokemon charged every rock and wall in sight, excluding the rock that the trainers were sitting against. Larvitar had been put in a small steel cage and was crying to be let out.

"These people are nuts…" Daniel thought to himself.

"Pachiii!" Pachirisu cheered quietly. The trainers looked to their right and he was standing next to Candace smiling.

"Pachirisu, use Super Fang!" Candace whispered. He nodded and opened his mouth. His teeth glowed white and extended, and then he chewed the ropes that bound the trainers' hands. Candace petted him and they all crawled over to Larvitar, quickly but quietly. When they got to him, Candace told Pachirisu to use Super Fang again and he gnawed the bars of Larvitar's cage.

"Lar!" Larvitar cheered quietly and jumped into Candace's arms.

"I FOUND IT!" a grunt cheered. He was holding up a shiny, orange object and his Shieldon was standing proudly at his side.

"Give it to me!" Ptera demanded. He obeyed and a few of the other grunts wheeled out a large capsule from the train.

"What are they doing?" Kyle whispered.

"I have no clue…" Candace replied.

"That's Old Amber…" Daniel said. "There's an Aerodactyl's DNA fossilized inside of it…a big one from the looks of it…that Old Amber is huge."

"Aerodactyl?" Tori asked, cocking her head.

"It's a prehistoric Pokemon like Cranidos, Shieldon, and Rampardos. It's very big, and very powerful," Daniel explained. "And very grumpy in the mornings. Everyone stay cool."

"Alright, leave it there," Ptera said. The grunts stopped in the middle of the room and opened the door of the capsule. Ptera set the Old Amber inside, closed it, and began to enter codes with keys on the side of the capsule.

"They're reviving it!" Kyle realized and Tori gasped. The machine fired up, buzzing with lights flickering.

"Don't just stand there, you idiots! Get a move on!" Raptor ordered. A few grunts grabbed their gear from the train and carried out the sleeping grunts. The grunts who grabbed the gear assembled a long pole with a thick metal ring at the end. One of them pushed a button on the ring and it opened. This took several minutes to do, but it appeared to be ready for whatever they were planning.

"Almost done…" Ptera said. The lights on the capsule turned off and the noise ceased. Ptera continued, "Phase two of Operation Aerodactyl is complete! Begin the final phase!"

A grunt walked timidly to the capsule and pressed a button, opening the door. A large puff of smoke was released and a large shadowy figure emerged.

"AEEEEERRRROOOO!" the figure roared. The grunts with the pole hoisted it up and the ring closed around Aerodactyl's neck. They tugged and the pole detached itself from the ring. Raptor handed Ptera a remote control as Aerodactyl let out another roar and fired a Hyper Beam at the grunts with the pole. They dodged, and Ptera pressed a button on the control. A red light flashed on Aerodactyl's collar and the collar shocked it. It cried out in pain as it was electrocuted.

"They're hurting it!" Kyle screamed. The grunts and commanders heard him and looked over.

"Oh crap, we're screwed!" Candace yelled, but smiled nervously.

"Gabite, Totodile, let's go!" Daniel shouted as he sent out his Pokemon.

"Mime Jr., Phanpy, Pikachu, Teddiursa! You too!" Kyle called as he sent out his.

"Eevee and Swablu, come on out!" Candace yelled as she sent out the remainder of her Pokemon. Pachirisu stood at her side, ready for battle.

"Flaaffy, Beautifly, and Lapras, it's show time," Tori cried and sent out her Pokemon.

"You didn't confiscate their Pokemon!" Ptera asked angrily.

"We…" Raptor trailed off, unable to explain for his mistake.

"I can't believe this," Ptera muttered to herself. "Bastiodon, get them!"

"BASTIOOOOOHH!" the Pokemon roared when it came out of the ball Ptera threw.

"We'll take care of the commanders, you and Tori take out the grunts," Kyle said to Candace.

"You got it," Candace said, a little shaky though. Tori clutched her contest ribbon tightly and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Be strong, Tori," Kyle said, putting a hand on her shoulder. She opened her eyes with a gasp and loosened the grip on her ribbon. She looked up at him, blushing, and nodded.

"You go for Raptor's Rampardos, the Bastiodon is mine," Daniel said to Kyle.

"Okay," Kyle said, turning to Raptor.

"Sorry, ladies, but we're gonna wipe you out," a grunt said. The other grunts and their Pokemon circled around Tori and Candace.

"Get ready, Tori!" Candace said, hiding her fear.

"Mm!" Tori managed, unable to say anything else. Bastiodon and Rampardos let out a booming battle cry and stared down their opponents. Totodile burped loudly in response.

"Here we go…" Daniel said, rolling his neck. "Try not to die."

~_~_~  
Author Notes:

Read and review please. Sorry about the cliffhanger xD


	20. CH 20 Showdown in the Underground Tunnel

**Chapter 20: Showdown in the Underground Tunnel**

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" Kyle ordered.

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted with a nod before charging forward, tail glowing bright.

"You use Iron Tail as well," Raptor said.

"Rampardos!" Rampardos roared and whipped around, smashing its large, glowing tail into Pikachu's. It overpowered Pikachu's Iron Tail and kept going, slamming into Pikachu's body and sending him flying back.

"Mime Jr. use Confusion!" Kyle yelled. Mime Jr. raised his arms and his eyes turned blue. Pikachu became outlined in blue and came to a slow stop in mid-air.

"Miiiiiime," Mime Jr. sang as he lowered Pikachu gently.

"Phanpy, use Rollout!" Kyle shouted.

"OOMPAH!" Phanpy trumpeted and rolled forward.

"Flamethrower!" Raptor ordered. Phanpy was engulfed in powerful flames and stopped rolling, letting out a pained cry.

"Phanpy!" Kyle screamed.

"Give it up, kid," Raptor said. He heard a loud smashing sound and looked over to Ptera. Her Bastiodon had charged at Daniel's Gabite, who dodged, and Bastiodon kept going, running into and shattering a large boulder. It seemed unharmed, and it turned around to face Daniel and his Pokemon.

"Totodile, use Water Gun!" Daniel said. Totodile obeyed, shooting a large blast of water from his mouth.

"Iron Defense!" Ptera ordered. The stream of water split, shooting off to either side. "Now use Take Down!" Bastiodon charged, and Daniel yawned, whistled quietly for a moment, and looked at his watch, before nodding.

"Totodile! Dodge now, and use Ice Fang! Gabite, use Rock Smash!" Totodile skidded to one side, sending a pair of icy bolts at Bastiodon. The attack connected and Bastiodon suddenly jerked to a halt, its feet frozen to the ground. Gabite strolled over and wound up, before sending a Rock Smash-powered right cross into Bastiodon's face. The trapped Pokemon rocked back and forth from the impact but was still stuck fast.

"Break free, Bastiodon," Ptera ordered, "and use Iron Head." Bastiodon seemed to shiver, before it shook itself hard, and the ice shattered. Bounding forward, it became surrounded in a white aura and rammed directly into Gabite, knocking him off-balance. "Now use AncientPower!" She shouted. A massive ball of energy formed in front of Bastiodon and it fired the attack, directly at Gabite.

"Totodile, use Ice Fang on the attack!" Daniel ordered. From his position off to one side, Totodile blasted another bolt of icy energy at the attack, knocking it off-course and into the wall.

"Gabite, pull it together!" Daniel shouted. "Totodile, use Ice Fang and hit Bastiodon!" As Gabite struggled to his feet, Totodile blasted off yet another Ice Fang at Bastiodon.

"Bastiodon, use Metal Burst!" Ptera yelled. A large white ball formed in front of Bastiodon's gaping mouth that absorbed the energy and grew bigger. Roaring angrily, Bastiodon fired the ball at Gabite.

"Need to hedge my bets," Daniel muttered. "Gabite, get Rock Smash ready!" Gabite's claws glowed. "Now use Dragon Rage!" Without being ordered, Totodile fired an overpowered Ice Fang that missed, shaking the cave. Gabite stumbled, firing the Dragon Rage accidentally. The attack splashed over his claws, and they glowed light green faintly for a moment before the glow fading. "That's Dragon Claw!" Daniel shouted, amazed. "DO IT AGAIN!"

Claws glowing brightly, Gabite charged, shattering the Metal Burst with a flash.

"Hmph, Impressive," Ptera said with a smile. "It appears Raptor may not be as incompetent as I thought…but either way, your luck runs out here. Say good bye!"

Meanwhile, Candace and Tori had been battling the grunts. Although the grunts were pretty weak, the girls were vastly outnumbered and struggling. Eevee, Pachirisu, Swablu, and Beautifly were panting heavily, but Lapras hadn't been used much.

"Eevee, use Double Team!" Candace shouted as a line of grunts ordered their Pokemon forward. Eevee multiplied to match the number of Cranidos and Shieldon in the approaching line of Pokemon.

"Beautifly use String Shot!" Tori yelled. Beautifly shot a line of silk at the charging Pokémon's feet, stopping them in their tracks.

"Shadow Ball!" Candace ordered. "And Pachirisu, use Discharge on the Shadow Balls," she added. As soon as the Eevee fired their Shadow Balls, Pachirisu charged them up with Discharge. They turned dark black, sparks dancing around them, and then hit the line of enemies. The Pokemon were knocked out immediately and another line stepped forward.

"Swablu, use Sing!" Candace ordered. Swablu fluttered forward and sang a lullaby to the fossil Pokemon, and most of them fell asleep, but several managed to stay awake and a grunt ordered a Cranidos to use Zen Headbutt. The Cranidos pushed off the ground and hit Swablu from below with its blue, glowing skull. Swablu was sent flying but Candace caught her.

"Bloo…" Swablu said, weakly.

"Thank you, Swablu. You were great, but you need to rest now, before you really get hurt," Candace said and returned Swablu to her ball.

"Use Take Down, now!" a few grunts ordered. Three of the Shieldon who were still awake charged forward and hit Eevee, Pachirisu, and Flaaffy. The three Pokemon took some serious damage, but could have and would have continued to if there wasn't a commotion coming from Kyle's direction. Everyone in that room stopped battling to look. Kyle's Pikachu had used Sweet Kiss and Rampardos was rampaging in Confusion.

"Rampardos! Snap out of it!" Raptor ordered.

"RAAAAAHHHH!" it roared and smashed into a rock. Kyle and his Pokemon ran out of the way to avoid getting stepped on. Rampardos smashed around for a few minutes and the grunts fled in terror. For some reason, Rampardos decided to charge.

"Candace, Tori, watch out!" Daniel yelled. Rampardos was coming right at them, and there wasn't anywhere for them to go.

"We're done for!" the two girls thought to themselves, but suddenly, Larvitar ran out in front of them and started to glow yellow.

"Oh no!" Ptera said. Daniel looked at her and she seemed terrified. She took out her walky-talky and said, "Steggy! We've run into a snag. We've got what we've come for; now get us out of here pronto!"

"You're still in the cave though, aren't you?" a woman on the other end of the walky-talky said. "How am I supposed to –?"

"LOOK FOR THE HYPER BEAM!" Ptera yelled and looked at Bastiodon, who promptly blasted a hole in the ceiling of the cavern.

"Oh! I see it! I'm coming for you, hold tight!" the woman said.

"WHOOPTY DOO! HURRY THE HELL UP!" Ptera ordered as everything began shaking and the ground began to crack. The cracks were glowing yellow like Larvitar.

"LAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Larvitar cried, shutting his eyes tight. The ground shook harder and the size of the cracks increased as yellow lava shot out of them. The trainers fell over and hugged their Pokemon for dear life. The walls began to crumble and every boulder in the cavern broke apart. Rampardos was knocked out from this strong ground move and did not succeed in trampling the girls. Team Jurassic called all their Pokemon back and crouched down, covering their heads and praying that they would survive.

"LARVITAR, STOP!" Candace screamed. Larvitar stopped screaming and the ground stopped shaking. The glowing subsided and the lava vanished. The whole cavern was in ruins and the sound of helicopter could be heard from up above. Ladders dropped in through the hole in the roof and Team Jurassic fled quickly, taking Aerodactyl with them. The trainers stoop up, shakily and walked towards the center of the cave to meet up with each other.

"W-was that Earthquake?" Candace asked.

"I don't think so…Earthquake doesn't quite look like that…and it wasn't strong enough anyway," Daniel replied.

"Magnitude then?" she asked.

"No, not that either…neither of those moves involve…lava…I don't really know what that was…" Daniel said.

"Are you all okay?" someone shouted. They gasped and turned around to find all of the train passengers standing with Growlithe and Skarmory.

"We felt the ground shaking so we came to see if you were all alright! Thank you for saving us," a woman said. The trainers smiled.

"Yeah...we're fine," Candace said. The trainers stepped over the rubble and made their way to the passengers. Together, they all left the cavern and made their way back to the main train tracks. When they got to them, Skarmory flew Mime Jr. up to the road and Mime Jr. used Confusion to get everyone else up too. The trainers called their Pokemon back and sat down to rest while the passengers chatted amongst themselves. Kyle looked up at his friends.

"So…I guess we're walking to Cava then?" he asked.

"Yeah, but it's a day or two's walk," a man said. "We would have been there within a couple hours if the train hadn't been hijacked."

"That's good," Candace said before falling back and sprawling out on the ground.

"Well…we'll be seeing you," Daniel said to the passengers as he stood up. "Let's go guys."

"What?" Candace said. Kyle and Tori stood up too.

"C'mon guys, I'm tired! I just got comfortable! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?" she complained as they walked away. Eevee and Larvitar ran after them too.

"Let's goooooo!" Kyle cheered.

"You guys are gonna kill me…" Candace thought to herself but reluctantly got up and joined them. Daniel pulled out his map as they walked, and he looked over it for a minute. Eevee and Mime Jr. jumped up onto their trainers' shoulders because they were a little worried that Larvitar might get hungry and try to eat them.

"I'd say we've got a full day of walking ahead of us," Daniel said, looking at his map.

"And we're completely out of food," Candace added.

"No more Poffins?" Tori asked.

"Nope," Candace replied. "This little garbage disposal must have snuck the rest when we weren't looking!"

"Larrr," Larvitar said, patting its tummy.

"You think you're cute, huh?" Candace asked, annoyed. Larvitar nuzzled her leg. "Hey knock it off! You're not coming with us! You'll eat everything we have. We can't afford to feed you!"

Larvitar ignored her and kept following them. Candace tried and tried to shoo him away, but he stuck to her like glue. The others remained silent and tried not to laugh. Soon, Candace got pretty irritated and tried to run ahead, but Larvitar sped up too.

"I said beat it!" she screamed, now in a full-on sprint. She was too focused on Larvitar to notice that there was a Geodude blocking her path, so she tripped over it, and Pachirisu's ball happened to drop to the ground.

"Dude…" it said.

"Urgh, sorry Geodude," she said, rubbing her leg.

"Geo," it said lazily and turned over to sleep.

"Chi pah!" Pachirisu cheered, apparently now out of his ball. He took off in the direction of Cava Town and Candace glared at Larvitar.

"See what you did?" she scolded. "Another reason why you are _not_ coming with us!"

"Are you okay?" Kyle asked, running up to check on his sister. The others were with him and all out of breath from trying to catch up.

"I'm fine, but Pachirisu is loose again," Candace said. Larvitar's stomach grumbled.

"Great," Daniel said. "Where did he go?"

"Towards Cava…Stop it!" she said. Larvitar was pulling at her hoodie, and his stomach grumbled again.

"Lar lar!" he whined.

"We don't have any food," she said. His eyes swelled with tears.

"You hurt your leg," Tori noticed, pointing to the blood cascading down Candace's leg. Larvitar began to cry, but everyone else continued to ignore him.

"It's just a scrape," Candace assured. "I'm fine…Hey…do you feel that?"

"The ground is shaking!" Kyle exclaimed.

"Larvitar is using that move again," Daniel said. The ground cracked and yellow lava began to spew from the cracks. Luckily, Mime Jr. had stashed a Cheri Berry in Kyle's hood, so he grabbed it and shoved it into Larvitar's mouth. The ground immediately stopped shaking and the magma went away. Larvitar wasn't crying anymore either.

"Chiiiiii PAAAAAAAH!" Pachirisu screamed. They all looked and saw Pachirisu running towards them, being chased by a Crobat.

"Man, it's just one nightmare after another today, isn't it?" Kyle muttered.

"Eevee, use Shadow Ball," Candace said. Eevee fired a Shadow Ball at the Crobat and it fled immediately after it was hit. Pachirisu waddled up to Candace, sparks discharging from his cheeks.

"Eh oh," Daniel said.

"Pachirisu, no!" Candace pleaded and closed her eyes, readying herself for the zap. A few seconds passed and there was no zap, so she opened them again and found Larvitar sitting in front of her with a Pachirisu tail sticking out of its mouth.

"Well I guess that's one reason why keeping Larvitar around wouldn't be such a bad idea," Daniel said, smiling.

"Yeah, I guess it would be nice not to be electrocuted everyday…but we can't have him throwing tantrums like that every time he's hungry," Candace reasoned.

"Yea, Serrano would be left in shambles," Daniel said, half-joking.

"I'll think about it," Candace said, returning Pachirisu.

"Think about it?" Kyle objected. "That move he uses is SO AWESOME! If _you_ don't want him then _I do_!"

"Lar?" Larvitar said, cocking his head.

"I know you wanna come with us so bad, so I'll catch you!" Kyle exclaimed, tapping Larvitar's forehead with a Pokeball. Larvitar immediately broke free and glared at Kyle.

"It's no use, Kyle. I think Larvitar's picked his trainer…Candace," Daniel observed. Larvitar sat down in her lap.

"But I didn't pick Larvitar! Isn't this supposed to be a mutual agreement? Why me?" she complained, looking down, but avoiding eye contact with the Larvitar.

"I don't think Larvitar gives a damn either way; he's pretty set on going with you," Daniel said. Candace picked Larvitar up and set him down next to her before standing up.

"Well?" Daniel asked.

"Well what? I said I was going to think about it," she said, and started walking towards Cava. Larvitar followed at her heels.

"HMPH!" Kyle said and followed after them. Tori and Daniel smiled and joined the others.

"How did _I_ get stuck with the two most problematic, high-maintenance Pokemon?" Candace muttered to herself.

"Do you think she's going to keep Larvitar?" Tori whispered.

"Yup! And she knows it too. She's known ever since she pried Pachi from his mouth on the train," Daniel said.

"OW! DAMNIT, LARVITAR!" Candace shouted, flailing her leg. Larvitar had clamped onto her foot and had no intention of releasing. "That hurts! Stop it! Let go!" she shouted.

"Larvitar, no. You can't eat her. She'll give you indigestion," Daniel called then turned back to Tori and said with a smile, "Awful attached to her, isn't he?"

Starving, the trainers kept walking in the direction of Cava Town. All they had eaten that day was lunch and it was probably nearing dinner time now. They ran into several trainers and hikers who were resting at this point because it had been a long hike and they were exhausted from pushing themselves. The trainers engaged in a few battles with these other travelers and were all victorious. The four trainers concluded that they'd spend all of the money they earned from these battles on food when they got to Cava. Larvitar's eyes lit up at this statement, but Candace reassured him that he wouldn't be getting any because he wasn't coming with them. Larvitar simply ignored her.

"Oh God…What the hell is that?" Candace asked, as they approached a giant, snakelike Pokemon coiled up and sleeping down by the tracks. Mime Jr. got close to the edge and peered over, hoping to get an even better view.

"Mime Jr. be careful!" Kyle warned. Candace pointed her dex at it.

"Steelix: the Iron Snake Pokemon. Its body is compressed deep underground, so it is harder than any metal. This Pokemon can chew its way through boulders with its powerful jaws," the dex informed.

"That thing is _huge_," Candace observed. Mime Jr. slipped and knocked a rock loose. Kyle grabbed him so he wouldn't fall, but the rock did, and it hit Steelix on the forehead. The Steelix opened his eyes sleepily and then let out a grumpy screech. Daniel gathered the other three trainers and pushed them forward.

"WALK! WALK! WALK!" he ordered, nervously. The trainers power-walked, so they wouldn't show any signs of fear, but then broke into full sprint and got as far away as they could, as quickly as they could. When they got tired enough, they slowed and looked behind them, letting out a sigh of relief when they saw that nothing was chasing them.

The trainers got pretty far before they came across yet another obstacle. There was a whole group of blue-eyed Pokemon that appeared to be encased in steel armor, and they were all blocking the road.

"Whoa, what are those?" Kyle asked. He took out his Pokedex and pointed it at the group.

"Aron: the Iron Armor Pokemon. This Pokemon lives deep in the mountains, but will occasionally come out to eat railroad tracks and cars. When it evolves, it sheds the steel that covers its body and develops new armor," the dex informed. Larvitar was salivating from the thought of eating railroad tracks.

"Oh come on!" Candace complained. The group of Aron noticed the trainers and were a little spooked by them so they burrowed underground to escape. There was a single Aron left, staring blankly at a wall.

"I really,_ really_ want one!" Kyle exclaimed.

"Well one stayed behind, why don't you battle it?" Candace suggested.

"Definitely!" Kyle cheered and sent out his Phanpy.

"Mime!" Mime Jr. complained. He seemed a bit disappointed by this choice but Kyle promised to battle with him next time.

"Phanpy, use Take Down!" Kyle shouted.

"Don't-" Daniel started, but it was too late. As Phanpy charged, the Aron noticed the incoming Pokemon and tensed its body. Phanpy collided with Aron at full speed, but the Iron Armor Pokemon didn't budge. Phanpy, however, bounced off and then ricocheted off two walls before skidding to a stop, shaking its head. "…do that," the older boy finished slowly. "Aron can stop trucks. They have a solid suit of iron armor."

"Now what?" Kyle said.

"Knock it off balance, Kyle," Candace said.

"Then hit it fast and keep hitting it until it goes down," Daniel added.

"Right," Kyle said. "Phanpy, use Dig!" Phanpy quickly burrowed underground. Aron made no response, looking at Kyle expectantly and yawning widely. "Now hit him from directly underneath, and then use Headbutt!"

There was a rumble, and the ground directly underneath Aron erupted, sending the Pokemon flying into the air. As Aron was coming down, Phanpy jumped, headbutting the Steel-type from beneath.

"Hit him again with Headbutt, Phanpy," Kyle said. Phanpy jumped, headbutting Aron again and sending him bouncing to the ground.

"Now use…hey, where are you going?" Kyle asked. Aron had gotten to its feet and had begun walking down the tunnel, away from the trainers. "Come back here!" The Aron stopped, turned, looked at Kyle for a moment, and turned back, continuing in the way that it had been going. "Oh-kay then…" Kyle said. "Phanpy, use Rollout!" Phanpy curled into a ball and rolled past Aron, before reversing and rolling directly into Aron, knocking it back.

"Fighting fair, are we?" Daniel snarked. Kyle grinned.

"You advocate cheating, Daniel?" Candace asked with a heaping teaspoon of sarcasm as Phanpy battered Aron with blow after blow, knocking the armored Pokemon back farther and farther. It wasn't taking much damage each time, but Phanpy was hitting it relentlessly.

"Fair is I get what's due to me and screw everyone else," Daniel retorted. "But no, I don't believe in cheating."

"Phanpy, use Take Down, but go into a Defense Curl right before you hit!" Kyle shouted. Phanpy charged, curling into a ball moments before impact. The resulting crunch was powerful enough to knock Aron clean off its feet and blast it into the wall, where it slid to the ground. Phanpy staggered, dazed from the impact. The steel Pokemon stood for a minute and just stared at the trainers.

"Phanpy, you alright?" Kyle asked. Phanpy wobbled for a few more seconds, before shaking itself and standing up straight. "Good boy. Now, him again with Rollout!" Phanpy rolled forward, bouncing Aron off two walls and hitting him again as the Steel-type came down.

"Kyle, easy. Don't be too vicious with him," Daniel warned. "Steel-types can take a lot of damage, but this is getting out of hand."

"I know what I'm doing," Kyle shot back. "Phanpy, one more Take Down! Let's finish this!" Phanpy charged, and Aron cocked its head at the charging Pokemon, before jumping over the Ground-type and slashing at it, its feet glowing white. The unexpected attack knocked Phanpy off-balance, sending it bouncing across the tunnel.

"What the…what was that?" Kyle asked.

"Metal Claw," Daniel said. "I think Aron has had enough of being knocked around."

"Phanpy, hit him with Take Down, but keep an eye out!" Kyle ordered. Phanpy rolled to its feet, trumpeting angrily and charging. Aron yawned widely again and charged as well, slamming its head into Phanpy as Phanpy collided with it.

"Headbutt," Candace said. "That had to hurt." The two Pokemon were weaving unsteadily around the tunnel, stunned.

"Snap out of it, Phanpy," Kyle said. "Give me one more Headbutt!" Phanpy shrugged it off and charged, nailing the still-dazed Aron directly in the face. Aron was thrown back by the impact, landing in an unmoving heap.

Kyle patted down his pockets, searching for a Pokeball. "Where'd all my Pokeballs go?" the boy asked. Larvitar burped, and Kyle glared at him. "Did you eat my Pokeballs, you little monster?"

"Don't blame him for being hungry," Daniel said. "Remember, he saved our butts back there." Kyle growled, and Daniel rolled his eyes, fishing around in his jacket. "Here," the older boy said exasperatedly, handing Kyle a Great Ball. "Use this. I'll buy you new ones when we get to Cava, alright?" Kyle nodded, taking the advanced Pokeball and enlarging it. Chucking it at the Steel-type, the ball rocked twice, before popping open and releasing the Aron.

"What the…" Kyle said. "Why didn't it catch it?"

"He's still fighting," Daniel said, amazed.

"He took all those hits and he's still not knocked out?" Tori asked. "How's that possible?"

"Steel-types are really tough," Daniel said. "But this is ridiculous."

"Phanpy, hit him with one more Headbutt!" Phanpy charged, knocking the weakened Pokemon back. Kyle threw the Great Ball again, and this time, the ball rocked three times before the red glow faded, signifying a successful capture. Kyle grabbed the Pokeball off the ground. "Awesome! I caught him!" Kyle shouted victoriously.

"Well done," Daniel said. "Now send him out."

"Why?" Tori asked.

"Both he and Phanpy need medical attention, bad," Daniel began, "and we're still pretty far away from Cava."

Wordlessly, Kyle sent out the Aron, who looked up at the assembled trainers. Daniel held out a handful of Berries each to Aron and Phanpy, making sure each of them ate all of the medicinal fruit. When they were finished, Kyle returned the two Pokemon to their balls, and the trainers continued down the tunnel.

"So, what are a Steel-type's strengths?" Kyle asked nobody in particular.

"Well, as you probably saw, they are incredibly tough," Daniel answered. "They are also very heavy and solid, which gives moves like Headbutt, Take Down, and Slam a lot more power. They aren't the fastest Pokemon, but it's very difficult to harm them. I met a guy with a Metagross so tough that it could submerge entirely in molten lava and come out without a scratch."

"Wow. Does Aron evolve?" Candace asked.

Daniel nodded. "Twice. First into a Lairon, and then into an Aggron. They're all Steel- and Rock-types, so they're very tough, and very powerful."

At that moment, Larvitar decided to eat Eevee. Shortly after, when Shadow Balls and dirt were flying everywhere, he realized that that was a very poor choice. Pachirisu, as if sensing the excitement, chose that chaotic moment to pop out of his Pokeball and whirled around the trainers. He snatched all of their Pokeballs without them noticing and sent out every single Pokemon. Aron immediately decided to go for a stroll and took off towards Cava, Totodile looked up at his trainer and shot a Water Gun in his face, Eevee and Larvitar were still scuffling, and Pachirisu zapped every one of them and took off. Tori screamed from the pain of the zap, and Beautifly, only trying to comfort her trainer, accidentally sprinkled Sleep Powder over her. Tori fell over and passed out on the ground. Everyone stared at her for a minute before Larvitar waddled over and began chewing on her hair.

"What the hell have we gotten ourselves into?" Candace asked.

"Parenthood," Daniel said flatly, wiping his face. Glaring at his own problem child, he continued, "And was that really necessary?" Totodile nodded, a wide smile on his face. He was still nodding when Daniel returned him and Skarmory to their Pokeballs. Candace grabbed Tori's Pokeballs from the pile where Pachirisu had dumped them and returned her Pokemon as Kyle did the same for his. "Gabite," Daniel said, "would you mind carrying Tori?" Gabite gave him a long look, as if to say, 'can't you four stay out of trouble for five minutes?' before hefting the unconscious girl over his shoulder and walking alongside them.

"Maybe we should just set up camp for the night," Candace said. "I mean we're still hours away, Tori's out cold, and I'm exhausted…"

"But we have no food," Daniel said.

"And something might try to eat us. This cave is insane…" Kyle said.

"I know but…do you smell that?" she asked. A delicious aroma filled the air and the trainers kept walking. The road opened up into a large room and several groups of travelers had set up camp here and were cooking dinner.

"Lar!" Larvitar said, drooling and set off towards the nearest camper.

"Mooch," Candace muttered.

"Do you think anyone would feed us if we paid them?" Kyle said, also drooling. "If not, then I think I'll do what Larvitar's doing…"

"That's so rude though…" Candace said and her stomach growled in disagreement. "Ugg…"

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" a voice screamed. Tori woke up.

"Jeez, what now?" Kyle asked, turning around. Chucky was standing behind them, cowering and holding onto an Abra for dear life.

"How'd you get here so fast? You left when we left and we took a train…and uh…any reason why you're screaming?" Candace asked. Chucky opened his eyes and looked around the room.

"Wha…how'd I get here?" he asked.

"Uh…I don't know, you tell me," Candace said. Chucky looked at the Abra.

"ABRA!" he said.

"Why yes, it is," Daniel said.

"I know what happened!" Chucky exclaimed. "So there were all these Abra! And I wanted one! But they kept teleporting away! Then they started playing games with me and would use Teleport but appear in the same area, so I chased them all over the tunnel and then I tripped over this big rock thing…only it wasn't a rock, it was a Golem, a very cranky Golem who didn't like to be tripped over. I screamed and started running and he used Rollout to chase after me. I knew there was no way I could out-run him and then I tripped over a rock and then I fell down hard and one of the Abra who had used Teleport happened to appear under me and I landed on him so he must of Teleported me here…"

"How convenient," Kyle said. Chucky seemed like he was about to have a heart attack.

"Hey take it easy, kid…" Daniel said.

"And _that_ is why we didn't take a two to three week hike through an underground tunnel," Candace said, crossing her arms proudly in an 'I toldja so' manner.

"I've caught ten species of Pokemon in this cave," Chucky said.

"And _that_ is why I _wanted_ to take a two to three week hike through an underground tunnel," Kyle complained.

"But Kyle," Tori began, "if we hadn't taken the train, what would have became of those passengers? Who knows what Team –"

"What?" Chucky asked. Candace had her hands wrapped around Tori's mouth.

"Oh nothing," Candace said. "She just woke up and probably had a nightmare or something."

"No need to scare the poor kid by bringing up Team Jurassic," Daniel whispered into Tori's ear.

"Larvitar!" Larvitar said, returning with a giant turkey leg.

"Who brings an entire turkey with them when they go camping?" Kyle asked.

"Oh Chucky!" Candace said, scooting Larvitar towards him. "I've found the perfect Pokemon for you! He's friendly, helpful, and you probably have a lot in common, like your appetite."

"Thanks, but no thanks," Chucky said.

"WHAT?" Candace demanded.

"There's gotta be some reason why you'd be trying to pawn off such a rare Pokemon…and I don't want to inconvenience Professor Maple in any way. Nice try…" Chucky said.

"Nooo," Candace said, pouting. Larvitar cheered happily.

"CHUCKY, FEED US!" Kyle demanded all of a sudden. "WE HAVE NO FOOD! WE'LL PAY YOU!"

"Hey don't worry about it," Chucky said. The trainers set up camp and Chucky prepared dinner. Tori had to help him because he obviously didn't know what he was doing. The trainers let out all their Pokemon to run around and play. Candace, Kyle, and Daniel sat back and relaxed. Because Chucky wasn't around, they discussed the events that had taken place that day and wondered about Team Jurassic. There was nothing they could do about it really, so there was no reason to dwell over it. Daniel didn't really want to discuss the subject anyway. The trainers feasted that night and passed out immediately afterwards, without even bothering to get into their tents. The next morning, they packed up and got ready to hit the road, but Chucky decided to stay behind. He had expected to be in the cave for several weeks and catch all the Pokemon he met, so he wanted to stick around and find more Pokemon. The trainers said good bye and parted ways. Candace, Kyle, Tori and Daniel continued on their way to Cava.

The rest of the hike went pretty smoothly. Candace gave up trying to get Larvitar to leave them alone, but still refused to capture him. Not so much because she didn't want him, but because she was stubborn, but Larvitar was persistent and didn't give up.

They eventually found themselves overlooking an unusually large cavern, lined with several rows of bright lanterns hanging from sturdy hooks embedded into the cave walls. These lanterns illuminated the cavern with a flickering light that cast deep shadows. The trainers gazed around the cavern and saw various buildings and structures scattered around it.

"Is this the town?" Candace wondered out loud.

"Yes, this is Cava Town," Daniel said. "Now, if you guys will pardon the pun, I'm a little in the dark on this city. If I remember correctly, they've done some renovations since I was last here."

"The town is _underground_? THAT IS SO COOL!" Kyle said excitedly. "How did they build it?"

"Dynamite," a gruff voice said. "Lots and lots of dynamite." They turned, finding a very tall, very broad, very bearded man wearing khaki cargo shorts, dark brown boots more weathered than Daniel's, and a white t-shirt with a brown vest over it that had enough pockets on it to hide a small city in. He had worm brown eyes, mud-brown hair, and skin that seemed oddly tanned for a man who had spent so much time underground. There was a brawny-looking Marowak standing next to him, holding a long bone over its shoulders like a quarterstaff. While Marowak barely came up to the man's knee, it was far more imposing.

"Quake, how you doing?" Daniel asked, extending a hand. Quake grinned and shook his hand. Daniel turned to the Marowak. "And how are you doing, big guy?" Marowak snuffled and shrugged, as if to say 'so-so'. "Candace, Kyle, Tori, this is Quake, the Cava Town Gym Leader. Quake, these are my friends, traveling companions, and partners in mayhem, Candace, her brother Kyle, and Tori." Quake shook hands with each one.

"Pleased to meet you," the massive man said, grinning behind his beard. The group began walking down the path to the city. "You three wouldn't happen to know any reason for there to be problems in the caves, wouldya?"

"As a matter of fact, we would," Candace said. "Some people from Team Jurassic hijacked a train and tried to take us hostage."

"_Tried_?" The man echoed. "I take it they were unsuccessful."

"Very," Kyle piped up. "We got the other hostages off the train and broke up their operation, but not before they got what they came for."

"What were they there for?" Quake asked.

"That's something I've been meaning to talk to you about," Daniel said quietly. "They dug up and resurrected an Aerodactyl, before blowing open the cavern they were in and escaping. That probably caused a bit of a disturbance in the tunnels."

"Did you…?" Quake left the rest unsaid.

"No, they got away," Daniel growled. "But it wasn't for lack of trying."

"Too bad," Quake said as they entered the city. "Oh well. On to happier things. Welcome to Cava Town, after the remodel. Daniel, I know you weren't here for the changes. We remodeled most of the town, and the Gym as well."

"Oh good. You'll have to repair it after we're done, though," Daniel said offhandedly.

"You're going to challenge me this time?" Quake asked, hopefully.

"Not just him," Candace broke in. "I will too, and so will Kyle."

"And we'll beat you!" the boy said, confidently. Marowak stopped short, and Daniel winced. The Bone Keeper Pokemon stepped closer to Kyle, invading his personal space.

"Kyle," Candace said slowly, "I think you should take that back before Marowak gets upset."

"What's he going to do?" Kyle asked.

"Twist your head off, maybe," Daniel said. Kyle paled and rapidly apologized, and the group got underway again.

"Would he really twist my head off?" Kyle asked Quake, quietly. The big man shrugged.

"Here's the Pokemon Center," Quake said, pointing to a building with a red roof. "Do you need to stop by?"

"Uh, we will, but finish your tour first," Candace said.

"Okay then," Quake said, handing Daniel a map. "There, just in case you forget."

Quake showed the trainers around the town, pointing out main buildings such as the Pokemart, Contest Hall, hotel, and gym. When the tour was over, the four trainers thanked Quake and he returned to his Gym. They headed over to the hotel first so they could drop off all their stuff.

"Hey Tori, check it out," Candace said as they entered the lobby. There was a vending machine up against the wall next to the front desk.

"What about it?" Tori asked.

"Look what's in it," Candace said.

"Ball capsules and seals?" Tori asked. "What a strange thing to put into a vending machine…"

"Yeah," Candace said laughing and the two girls walked over to it and bought a few things from it. There were many seals in it that they had never seen before, so they were curious to see what their effects were.

"We'd like a suite for four, please," Daniel said to the receptionist at the front desk. She checked something on her computer, grabbed a key and handed it to Daniel. He thanked her, handing her a wad of cash and she smiled, handing him his change.

"Ready?" Kyle asked.

"Yup," the girls said, arms filled with packs of seals. They walked up to their room, dropped off everything they didn't need, and headed over to the Pokemon Center. They left all their Pokemon with Nurse Joy for the rest of the day, planning to pick them up in the morning. Then they headed over to the contest hall to get a better look.

"Tori, what's that?" Candace asked, pointing to the contest hall up ahead. It was a clear, glass dome with a stadium and scoreboard inside. It was lit up inside, but no one was in there. There was a sandwich board out front with some people gathered around it, and that was apparently what Candace was referring to. She and Tori rushed to it.

"It's probably advertising an upcoming contest or something. I bet we're going to be waiting here for weeks just so they can enter it," Daniel said, rolling his eyes.

"Gee, they sure do have contests frequently in Serrano," Kyle said.

"Well think about it," Daniel said. "Once a year, _one_ Grand Festival is held and each coordinator needs five ribbons to compete. Let's say there are fifty competitors. That means two-hundred fifty ribbons had to be given out," Daniel explained.

"Oh! Don't forget the Aqua Ribbon! Anyone who has that can compete with it again!" Kyle remembered.

"Actually," a familiar voice said. They turned around and saw Lacey standing behind them. She was wearing designer clothes: nice jeans, a white blouse with frills, and short black high heels. She also had a pair of sunglasses resting on her head. She continued, "All ribbons can be used again. Most people don't acquire all five ribbons in one year. It usually takes several years for most coordinators to acquire them all, and those that obtain five ribbons can re-enter the Grand Festival every year with those same five." She stopped to take out a large purple case and popped it open, revealing seven regular-sized ribbons and one large one. "These are all the ribbons I have won in Serrano. I only need these first five to compete in the Grand Festival."

"Then why are you still competing?" Kyle asked.

"Same reason you battle as many trainers as you can," she said. "To stay in practice."

"So what was so special about the Aqua Ribbon?" Daniel asked.

"In order to participate in the Grand Festival, you need five ribbons of _that _region. There is a Grand Festival every year in every region, so you need five ribbons from each region to participate in them all. You can't enter the Serrano Grand Festival with, say, four Serrano ribbons and a Kanto ribbon. If, however, you obtain an Aqua Ribbon, it counts towards your five in _any_ region," she explained.

"Gotcha," Daniel said.

"I'm not participating in the Cava contest, by the way. I'm just here to…observe. Can you do me a favor in exchange for the contests lesson?" Lacey asked.

"I suppose," Daniel said.

"Please don't tell Tori I'm here," she said.

"What is your relation to Tori, anyway?" Kyle demanded.

"I'll tell you later," she said. "Teleport!"

"Kiiiir," her Kirlia said, twirling out from behind her trainer, and they both vanished. Daniel and Kyle turned around and saw that the girls were coming back.

"The contest is in four days and it's an R-one contest," Candace reported.

"R-one? Lacey never mentioned that term…what does that mean?" Kyle wondered to himself.

Candace, noticing the boys' puzzled looks, clarified: "R stands for ribbon. R-one means ribbon-one, which means you need at least one ribbon to enter."

"So you can both enter!" Kyle exclaimed.

"Yup," Tori said.

"We already did," Candace said.

"That quick?" Daniel asked.

"Of course! It's not a dragged out process. You just show them your contest pass and a ribbon and they put you into the computer," Candace explained.

"Well we better head back to the hotel. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow. Ready for your fourth gym badge, guys?" Daniel asked.

"You bet!" Candace and Kyle cheered.

~_~_~  
Author Notes:

Read and review please. Aron's personality is actually based on my cat - really laid-back, does whatever he wants, not very bright, and pretty lazy. Both he and Larvitar are really fun to write about xD Hope you like the new characters!


	21. CH 21 Victories All Around!

**Chapter 21: Victories All Around!**

Quake, who had run into the trainers earlier that morning, was walking along with them. As the Gym came into view, Daniel gave the Gym Leader a long look.

"I thought you said you renovated," the boy said quizzically. Quake merely smiled. The 'Gym', such as it were, looked like nothing more than a single structure that had been dropped into the middle of the town. The building appeared to have been constructed from large stones, taking the appearance of a cave entrance rising from the ground.

They entered the building, and the group scanned the room, finding it rather bare. There were more lanterns in sconces along the walls, and couches and tables scattered around the room. In the center of the room, however, was a large hole in the ground, which apparently led underground.

"Follow me," Quake said, stepping into the hole and climbing down a ladder that was mounted on the side of the shaft. The others followed him closely, descending deeper underground until they found themselves in an underground cavern. While only a fraction of the size of the supercavern that the city occupied, the room they were now in was still impressive: an arena clearly laid out on the floor and torches on the walls. Bleachers were set off to either side, and the walls showed clear signs of being reinforced. Candace glanced around, astonished at how precisely the room seemed to have been made, even though it seemed to flow so naturally with the grain of the rock that made up the walls. She glanced at Daniel, who was staring at one of the walls with a sour look on his face.

"So, who's first?" Quake asked, rubbing his hands. Marowak growled and leveled its bone at Kyle.

"Um…me, I guess," Kyle said, his eyes locked on the bone pointed at him.

"Right then," Quake said, his voice showing slight discomfort at Marowak's behavior. The two trainers took to the arena, while the other three found places in the bleachers.

"This is a three-on-three battle," The referee said. "Substitutes are only allowed for the challenger. Go!"

"Numel, let's go!" The large man threw out a Pokeball, sending out a sleepy-looking Numel.

"Teddiursa, go!" Kyle shouted. The Numb Pokemon didn't react, simply staring ahead. Teddiursa walked up to Numel, obviously curious and mildly confused. Waving one paw in front of Numel's eyes, it looked back at Kyle and shrugged. Its confusion rapidly turned to pain as Numel bit down on Teddiursa's paw, apparently hungry. Teddiursa screamed and swung its free paw, which was glowing white, directly into Numel's face. Numel was knocked back and released Teddiursa's paw, but didn't otherwise react. Cradling its wounded paw, Teddiursa scurried away from Numel, putting distance in between itself and the other Pokemon.

"How did he not feel that hit?" Tori asked. "It took a Focus Punch straight to the face and barely even flinched!"

"Numel are known for two things – being filled with lava," Daniel began, "and being _extraordinarily_ dense. They're tied with Slowpoke for the dumbest Pokemon. Unless it's hungry, which it took care of when it decided Teddiursa's paw looked like a treat, it won't notice hits."

"So it's basically like Larvitar and Kyle's Aron all in one," Candace said.

"Nice comparison," Daniel said.

"Teddiursa, use Fury Swipes!" Kyle ordered. Claws glowing white, Teddiursa charged, slashing at Numel. The other Pokemon didn't even react, going so far as to yawn as the Little Bear Pokemon attacked it repeatedly.

"Numel, use Ember," Quake said loudly. Numel reacted slowly, seeming almost bored with the battle. It fired embers at Teddiursa, singeing the Normal-type's tail and bringing a loud yelp from it. "Again!" Quake said. Numel yawned widely and fired more embers, scattering them across the arena. Teddiursa hopped and jumped, avoiding most of the burning cinders, and landed on top of Numel.

"Oh, no," Candace said, spotting the hole in Numel's back. "KYLE!" she shouted. "GET TEDDIURSA OUT OF THERE!"

"Use Lava Plume!" Quake ordered.

"Teddiursa, run!" Kyle screamed. Teddiursa made to move, but wasn't fast enough to avoid the mass of burning lava and fire that Numel sprayed across the arena from the hole on its back. Kyle ran across the arena and scooped up his unconscious Pokemon, moving back to his place. Before he had reached it, the others were there waiting for him, Daniel already reaching for medicine as Candace gently took the tiny Pokemon, cradling it in her arms.

"He'll be fine, Kyle," Daniel said calmly. "Finish the battle." Kyle nodded, the distress on his face easing slightly. Turning back to Quake, Kyle's jaw hardened as the others began to work on Teddiursa in the bleachers, healing him and allowing Kyle to finish the match without worrying.

"Mime Jr., let's kick some butt," the boy said angrily, sending his first Pokemon into the battle. Mime Jr. ran forward, an expression of rage on his face because his friend had been hurt.

"Use Flamethrower, Numel," Quake ordered. Numel blasted a stream of fire at Mime Jr., who quickly brought up a Barrier to block it.

"Slingshot it back with Confusion, Mime Jr.," Kyle said. Mime Jr.'s hands glowed, curving the fire around behind it and firing it back at Numel, while adding its own power to the attack. The blast forced Numel back several feet, burning it, but the Pokemon seemed to barely notice the hit. "Hit him with DoubleSlap!" Mime Jr. charged, slapping the Numel across the face repeatedly, putting as much force as it could behind the blows. "Use Barrier on your hands and keep up the DoubleSlap!" Kyle shouted.

Mime Jr.'s hands glowed as he surrounded them with Barrier, before he went back to pounding away at Numel, its attacks now doing more damage. After several minutes of knocking Numel around, Mime Jr. stopped, allowing the Numb Pokemon to collapse to the ground, unconscious.

"Well," Quake said, returning Numel, "That was unexpected. Time to up the ante. Nidoking, let's go!" The Great Ball that Quake threw released a bulky Nidoking that punched both fists together, growling deep in its throat.

"Well that's not good," Daniel said. "Kyle, do NOT get into a melee with that thing. A Nidoking can snap a telephone pole with its tail. Keep your distance." He then turned to Candace and said, "The last time I was here, that was only a Nidorino," Daniel said. "Stands to chance that one or two of his other Pokemon have evolved as well."

"Mime Jr., use Confusion," Kyle said carefully, seeing the muscles flex in Nidoking's arms. "See if you can lift that thing." Mime Jr. focused, putting its palms forward. Nidoking didn't move, and Mime Jr.'s face fell.

"Nidoking, use Horn Attack," Quake said. Nidoking charged, its horn lowered to attack.

"If you can't lift it at least knock it aside!" Kyle shouted. Mime Jr. slapped to one side, knocking Nidoking clear into the wall. The impact cratered the wall slightly and stunned Nidoking momentarily, but Mime Jr. sagged from the exertion. "Hit him again with Confusion, see if you can make him move a little bit. Just knock him around," Kyle ordered. Mime Jr. grunted, pushing both palms forward and shoving Nidoking back with enough psychic force to knock the Drill Pokemon flat on his back. Mime Jr. continued to move, flipping Nidoking onto its stomach, sliding it across the room, and slamming it into the reinforced walls. Each time, Mime Jr.'s strength seemed to flag a little more, and eventually the Psychic-type was weaving slightly. Nidoking, on the other hand, was barely able to move, having been battered for the better part of half an hour by Mime Jr.'s psychic assault.

"Nidoking, use Megahorn!" Quake shouted. Nidoking charged, blasting through the weak Barrier that Mime Jr. managed to put up, and hit it in the stomach with its horn. "Now finish him. Use Horn Drill!" Nidoking's horn began to spin, sending Mime Jr. flying. Kyle caught his partner, finding him exhausted and unable to continue but otherwise unharmed.

Kyle exhaled slowly, obviously upset at the toll this battle was taking on his Pokemon. Retrieving another ball from his belt, Kyle tossed it out, sending out Phanpy. The Long Nose Pokemon trumpeted angrily, stomping on the rocky ground. "Phanpy, use Take Down!"

"Use Poison Jab, Nidoking!" Quake ordered.

"This ain't good," Daniel said, as Teddiursa sat up, weak but conscious.

"Why not?" Candace asked. "He's still in the game, isn't he?"

"Yeah, but he's fighting angry," Daniel said. "You fight angry, you make mistakes. Thankfully, he didn't send out Pikachu. That would have been awful."

"…Why?" Candace asked.

Daniel gave her an odd look. "Electric plus Ground. Think about it."

Candace seemed deep in thought for a moment, before her eyes widened. "Oh." She winced. "Ouch."

The two returned their attention to the battle just in time to see Phanpy knock aside Nidoking's horn and ram into the Pokemon's undefended stomach, knocking the wind clean out of it and bending it double. Nidoking's eyes bugged out, and it clutched at its stomach as Phanpy skidded to a halt, kicking a spray of dust up over Quake.

"Use Dig, Phanpy!" Phanpy scratched at the ground and trumpeted nervously.

"The ground's too hard for Phanpy to dig in," Tori said worriedly.

"Good to know," Candace murmured, revising her strategy.

"Oh well," Kyle muttered. "Sometimes the direct approach is best. Phanpy, use Rollout!" Phanpy spun, nailing the still-incapacitated Nidoking in the back, and knocked it forward. He then rolled up Nidoking's back and stopped at its head, bringing his front feet down hard and knocking the Drill Pokemon flat on its face, unconscious.

"What was that?" Tori asked.

"Stomp," Daniel said, glancing down at the Pokemon in his arms. "I guess he was a little upset at Teddiursa getting hurt too."

Quake returned Nidoking, apparently surprised at how violently his second Pokemon had been taken down. "Right then. Marowak?" he said, looking down at his side. The Bone Keeper Pokemon stepped into the arena, planting its quarterstaff-bone in the solidly-packed ground in front of it and roaring a challenge.

Kyle swallowed nervously. He had never seen a Pokemon act so aggressive. "Phanpy, use Rollout." Phanpy rolled into the battle again, and Marowak snatched its bone out of the ground and swung it baseball-style directly at Phanpy, knocking the Pokemon into a wall.

The Long-Nose Pokemon shook itself and rolled back with more speed, kicking up dust as it collided with Marowak. As the dust cleared, everyone was stunned to find that Marowak had blocked Phanpy's Rollout, keeping the smaller Pokemon at bay with the bone held parallel to the ground. Phanpy span faster, forcing Marowak backwards. Marowak retaliated by pushing, knocking Phanpy off-balance, and then clubbed him across the head.

"That's right, Marowak, keep using Bone Club," Quake said. Marowak swung again, but the blow never connected. Phanpy caught the bone about halfway down its length with his trunk, before tensing his trunk and snapping the bone in half. Quake flinched, and Marowak stared wide-eyed at the splintered weapon.

"Phanpy?" Kyle said. "Let's finish this. Headbutt." Phanpy reared back and smashed his head into Marowak's, shoving him back. "Again," Kyle ordered. Again, Phanpy headbutted Marowak, cracking the skull that covered his face. "Now, use…" Kyle broke off as Phanpy began glowing, before it changed shape. As the glow faded, Kyle grinned. Where a light blue, cute elephant-like Pokemon had once stood, there was now a light gray, more aggressive-looking Pokemon. A thick band of black hide covered its trunk and it had a new pair of tusks extending half a foot out in front of his face.

"It's a Donphan," Daniel whispered. "Awesome."

Candace pulled out her Pokedex, anxious for more information on Donphan. "Donphan, the Armor Pokemon: With its incredible strength and tough hide, this Pokemon can knock down a house with its Rollout attack and most attacks wouldn't leave a scratch on it. The length of its tusks indicates its rank in its herd," The Dex supplied.

"Wow," Kyle said. "Donphan! Use Rollout!" Donphan rolled itself into a ball, spinning forward and bulldozing over Marowak. The Bone Keeper Pokemon was jarred by several more massively powerful hits, leaving more cracks in the skull it wore.

"Come on, Marowak!" Quake said. "Use Headbutt!"

"Finish it!" Kyle shouted. "Use Take Down!" Donphan charged, and the sound in the confined cavern was not unlike that of two bulls colliding on a desert field. The force of the collision knocked up dust and shook the entire room. When the arena cleared, Marowak was unconscious on the ground, and Donphan had one foot planted on his back, trumpeting victoriously.

"Marowak is unable to battle!" the ref announced. "Kyle wins!"

"Wow…that was one incredible battle," Quake croaked, slapping dust from his vest. Fishing around in his vest, he retrieved a badge shaped like a rock with a deep crack through it. "Here's the Fissure Badge, kid."

"Thanks," Kyle said with a grin. He took the badge and held it up before moving over to the bleachers with Donphan at his side.

"So who's next?" Quake asked. Daniel jerked a thumb at Candace.

"No matter how reinforced this place is, it's going to need repairs after I'm done," the boy said.

"It needs repairs now," Quake shot back. "Oh well." He made a grand gesture to Candace. "If you would?"

Candace took to the arena as Kyle sat down and took the medicine Daniel handed him, starting to work on Mime Jr. as Donphan and Teddiursa looked on.

"Again, this will be a three-on-three battle, with substitutions only allowed for the challenger," the referee said, astonished at how Donphan had taken down Marowak.

"Let's do this," Candace said.

"Go, Hippowdon!" Quake said, sending out a massive Hippowdon. The creature grumbled at being disturbed, but shook itself, sending a snowstorm of sand onto the arena. It shot a challenging glance at the opponent as the sand flowed across the floor.

"Eevee?" Candace said to the creature in her hoodie. Eevee jumped out onto the arena, absolutely tiny compared to the Heavyweight Pokemon.

"Hippowdon, use Crunch!" Quake ordered. Hippowdon lunged, its gaping maw missing Eevee by inches.

"Use Shadow Ball, Eevee!" Candace shouted. Eevee fired off several Shadow Balls that splashed over Hippowdon's hide without doing any visible damage. "Now what?" the girl frantically thought to herself.

"Oh, this isn't good," Daniel said. "Eevee doesn't have enough power to do serious damage to Hippowdon."

"Eevee, can you use Dig?" Candace asked. Eevee scratched at the dirt, but failed to dig into the hard-packed ground. "Crap. Use Double Team!" Eevee split into several copies of itself, spreading out.

"Use Take Down, Hippowdon," Quake ordered. His Pokemon lunged, smashing several Eevee flat. They all disappeared, Hippowdon having hit nothing but copies.

"Use Double Team again!" Candace shouted. Each of the copies of Eevee split again several times, until there were more than a hundred copies of the Evolution Pokemon scattered around the arena.

"Damn, Eevee's getting _really_ good at that," Daniel noted. Quake's jaw dropped and Hippowdon glanced around nervously.

"Now use Shadow Ball again!" she ordered. Dozens of Shadow Balls hit Hippowdon, blasting the large Pokemon back, knocking it out.

"Hippowdon is unable to continue!" The referee said as Quake returned the Ground-type, leaving the mess of sand behind.

"Nicely done, Eevee!" Candace called. Eevee sat and waited.

Enlarging a Pokeball, Quake threw it into the ring, yelling, "Go, Nidoqueen!"

"Oh, man, he evolved his Nidorina too?" Daniel complained. "That's just not fair!"

"Use Superpower, Nidoqueen!" Quake shouted. Nidoqueen glowed blue, before she lunged at the numerous Eevee, smashing through the copies and pounding the real one into the ground.

"Oh my god…" Candace murmured. "Eevee! Are you okay?" Eevee poked her head out of the small crater she was in and shook herself. "Then use Quick Attack!" Eevee dashed out of the crater and slammed into Nidoqueen's stomach, bouncing off. "Let's try Bite, then!" Eevee jumped and bit down on the back of Nidoqueen's neck, shaking her head violently. Nidoqueen thrashed around, slamming herself against walls and the ground to try to remove the tiny Pokemon. Eevee was terribly battered, but it came at a price – Nidoqueen ran headlong into a solid wall, stunning herself as Eevee dropped to the ground, unconscious.

Candace ran forward and grabbed her partner, returning to her place and pulling a Pokeball from her bag. "Swablu, go!" Swablu exited the ball, floating off the ground, a war cry leaving her beak. "Use Peck! Swablu's beak glowed and she shot across the ring, slamming into Nidoqueen's less-armored stomach and shoving the Pokemon back into the wall.

"Use Superpower again, Nidoqueen!" Quake shouted. Nidoqueen reared back and backhanded Swablu, sending it smacking into the wall. Swablu slid to the ground, before dusting itself off and launching itself back into the battle, using Peck again. This time, it hit Nidoqueen in the chest.

"Sandstorm, Nidoqueen," Quake said. Nidoqueen spun, kicking up waves of sand that slammed into Swablu, sending her to the floor, unconscious.

Candace wordlessly returned Swablu and sent out the second Pokemon she had ever caught. Growlithe came out, already in fight mode. "Use Flamethrower, Growlithe!" Candace said. Growlithe inhaled, and blasted a massive stream of fire across the ring, flames splashing over Nidoqueen's hide. The Drill Pokemon started moving towards Growlithe, but the Puppy Pokemon pushed more power into the Flamethrower, torching Nidoqueen in her tracks. The toasted Pokemon collapsed, and Quake recalled her.

"That was impressive," the man said, "but I don't lose twice in a row. Go! Quagsire!"

"Oh, wonderful," Candace said, rolling her eyes. "Water-Ground-types. Just my luck." She glared at Daniel and shouted, "I never had these problems before I met you!" The older boy grinned cheekily at her. Shaking her head, Candace turned back to the battle. "Growlithe, use Bite!" Growlithe lunged, clamping down on what served for Quagsire's neck, but its skin was too slick and Growlithe's jaw slipped. He stumbled forward and face planted into the hard-packed dirt.

"How on earth…" Tori said. "How Growlithe's hold break?"

"Quagsire's skin is really slippery," Daniel said. "Hard to get a good grip."

"How do you know?" Kyle asked.

A look flashed across Daniel's face that suggested he had done something stupid in the past. "I don't want to talk about it," he said quickly. "Let's just say Quagsire wrestling is a bad idea."

"Use Muddy Water!" Quake ordered. Quagsire released a spiral of filthy water from its body, shooting it at Growlithe.

"Use Flamethrower, Growlithe! Block it!" Candace shouted. Growlithe released a stream of fire that collided with the spiral of water, kicking up tons of steam in the enclosed room. Both trainers urged their Pokemon to keep it up, which sent more steam into the room.

Daniel ran a finger down one of the walls. It came away muddy. A small smile flittered across the boy's face, and he turned back to the battle. "See how tough you are tomorrow, Quake," the boy mumbled.

The ring cleared slightly, and the spectators and the ref could see that Quagsire and Growlithe were still firing their respective attacks; the meeting point was on Growlithe's half of the ring. Ever so slowly, the contact point of the attacks inched towards Quagsire, occasionally faltering, but steadily closing the distance. As the distance between the Water Fish Pokemon and the conjoined attacks shrank to a few feet, Quake shouted, "Now! Use Earthquake!" Quagsire dropped the attack and slammed the ground, sending shockwaves through the rock and dirt that knocked Candace and Growlithe off their feet. The Muddy Water-Flamethrower combination struck Quagsire, kicking up an explosion.

When the steam and smoke cleared, Growlithe was unconscious from exhaustion and the final blow of the Earthquake, and Quagsire was still standing.

"Growlithe is unable to battle! Quake wins!" the referee announced.

Candace let out a sigh and called back her fallen Pokemon. She then walked over to shake hands with the victor.

"Feel free to come back and challenge me again anytime," the Gym Leader said.

"Oh, I will," she said with a grin. She and her friends left in search of an open area to train in.

"I can't believe I lost," Candace said sadly.

Daniel stared at her. "You did pretty well, actually."

"How do you figure?" Candace asked.

"You were up against a disadvantage at pretty much every turn," Kyle piped up. "Hippowdon's defense, Nidoqueen's power, and Quagsire's type advantage."

Daniel nodded. "He's right. The fact that you got two out of his three Pokemon is a testament to how tough Eevee, Swablu, and Growlithe are."

"So how do I beat him?" Candace asked sadly. "I can't use Pachirisu, that'd be an even worse type disadvantage."

"With training of course," Daniel said as they neared an open area with a couple large boulders bordering it and a few smaller ones scattered inside it. "You just need to boost your Pokemon's attack power and you can take Quake without a problem."

"Uh, can I meet back with you guys here in about an hour? I think my Pokemon should rest a bit before some hardcore training," she reasoned.

"Yeah, that'd be a good idea," Daniel said. Candace left, in the direction of the Pokemon Center, and oddly, Larvitar decided not to follow her.

"Think Larvitar's finally accepted the fact that she's not his trainer?" Kyle asked as he sent out all of his Pokemon.

"Nah," Daniel said, sending out his. Totodile immediately wandered over to Teddiursa and began jabbering away with the Normal-type.

"Maybe he's just too lazy to walk to the Pokemon Center," Tori said, after she sent out her Pokemon as well.

"Mind training on your own? I think Tori and I have a long overdue training session," Daniel said.

"Fine," Kyle whined and broke apart from the two to train alone in the corner of the area.

"Okay, Tori," Daniel said. "I'm going to have to work with you differently than I would with Kyle. I'm not trying to teach you to battle, but I do want to work on a few things today. First, Flaaffy's power. She's good, but I want to help her be able to put more power into her attacks."

"How do you plan to do that?" Tori asked.

"Gabite?" Gabite stretched, his joints popping. "He's a Ground-type, so Flaaffy's attacks shouldn't hurt him. I want her to practice on him. Meanwhile, Gabite's going to work on his Dragonbreath by trying to score hits on Beautifly."

"He's not going to hurt her, is he?" Tori asked.

"Well, I expect Beautifly to block the attacks," Daniel said, as if it should be obvious.

"And the others?" Tori gestured to Lapras, Totodile, and Skarmory.

Daniel grinned. "Target practice for Lapras, and speed training for Skarmory and Totodile."

"And you expect to do all of this at once?" Tori asked, dumbfounded. "How?"

Daniel sighed. "People seriously underestimate the intelligence of Pokemon sometimes. Pokemon like Numel and Slowpoke give them a bad reputation. Honestly, a few times I haven't given Gabite any orders at all; I've just let him attack on his own, and he usually does as well if not better than he does when I give him commands. Just let them do their thing."

"Alright then…" Tori said, not convinced.

"Do you think your Pokemon can handle this?" Daniel asked gently. "Because if not, we'll go into the tunnels and practice on the Aron."

"No, no, we can do this," Tori said, her voice uncertain.

"You think you can do this, or you know you can?" Daniel pressed.

"We can do this," Tori said with a bit more confidence. Daniel nodded.

"Good enough," he said. "Gabite! Hit Beautifly with Dragonbreath!" Beautifly quickly dodged as Gabite sent off a blast of Dragonbreath at her.

"Beautifly!" Tori shouted. "If you can't dodge his attacks, bring up a Silver Wind shield to block them!" She pivoted, looking at Lapras. "Hit Totodile and Skarmory with Ice Beam, Ice Shard, or Water Gun!"

Lapras immediately blasted off a series of Ice Shards at Skarmory as it took off, before bracketing Totodile with Ice Beam. The Flying-type let the shards shatter against its wings as Totodile rolled out of the way of the attack.

Tori looked at her first Pokemon. "Hit him with as big a Thundershock as you can give me," she said, her voice clear and strong. Flaaffy strained, blasting off a strong Thundershock at the Dragon-type. Gabite blinked, before speaking to Daniel. The boy blinked, before laughing.

"What?" Tori asked.

"He wonders if a bug bit him," Daniel said, chuckling.

"Well then, let's see how he likes a bunch in a row," Tori said. "Flaaffy, hit him with a bunch. As strong as you can get them."

Flaaffy immediately began shocking Gabite again, who yawned pointedly.

"Gabite, keep up the attacks on Beautifly. Totodile, get off that boulder; you're making yourself a bigger target. Skarmory, grab Totodile and use him to bomb Lapras."

"Lapras, use Mist to obscure Skarmory's vision, and keep up the Ice Shards!"

As Beautifly continued dodging and spinning out of the way of Gabite's attacks, Lapras flooded the area with a chilly mist and continued rapid-firing Ice Shards into the air. Grabbing Totodile, Skarmory sped up, blasting through the mist and outrunning Lapras's attacks. Skarmory and Totodile disappeared, and for a moment there was silence aside from the crackle of Flaaffy's Thundershock, the angry hissing of Gabite's Dragonbreath, and the gentle whisper of Beautifly's Silver Wind.

"What's that sound?" Kyle asked, looking up. There was an audible whistle, and Skarmory zipped past, releasing Totodile at high speed. The smaller Water-type slid down Lapras's neck and back, jumping off and skidding to a halt by sinking his teeth into a boulder, and then blasted Lapras with a high-powered Water Gun.

Moments later, Gabite scored a direct hit on Beautifly, dropping the Bug-type to the ground. He advanced, ignoring the consistently more powerful shocks that Flaaffy was giving him.

"Finish it," Daniel said. Gabite inhaled, preparing a Dragonbreath.

"I thought you said you weren't going to hurt her!" Tori protested.

"Improvise!" he barked at her.

"Beautifly, use Silver Wind! On him!" she ordered.

Beautifly's Silver Wind enveloped Gabite as he released the attack. The two attacks met with a small blast.

"Nicely done," Daniel said, his tone now more friendly. "Gabite, back off."

Gabite stepped back from Beautifly, and the Bug-type righted itself.

"Now what?" Tori asked.

"Swap," Daniel said. "Flaaffy and Beautifly are going to spar with Totodile and Skarmory. Gabite with Lapras."

"Fair enough," Tori said. "Lapras, use Ice Beam!" Lapras attacked, obviously hoping to take out Gabite early and avoid a long match.

Gabite instinctively reacted, firing off a Dragonbreath that sent the Ice Beam shooting off harmlessly.

"Totodile, you take Flaaffy. Skarmory? Go easy on Beautifly," Daniel said calmly. Totodile bounced into battle as Skarmory took flight, zipping past Beautifly as the Bug-type fired gusts at him, harmlessly.

"Totodile, use Ice Fang," Daniel said.

"Dodge it!" Tori shouted quickly.

"On yourself!" Daniel added, getting quizzical looks from all present, including Totodile. Daniel sighed. "Use it on your hand!" the boy said, holding up one hand for emphasis.

Totodile carefully let ice energy play over his hand, which glowed. Giving it a larger amount of energy, Totodile's hand glowed with icy power. "Good," Daniel said, encouraging his Water-type. "Now try Ice Punch."

Totodile cocked his arm back, just as Flaaffy zapped him with full power. Daniel facepalmed as the Big Jaw Pokemon fell to the ground, twitching.

"Toto…dile," it coughed.

"You were supposed to dodge, goofball," Daniel said, picking up Totodile gingerly. The Water-type coughed soot, before looking up and hugging Daniel tightly. "Aww," the boy said, hugging back, "Yeah, I love you too, Totodile. Now get back in there." And with that, he booted Totodile back into the fight.

"Bee-yoo!" Beautifly sang, landing on Tori's head. The girl looked around and noticed her Pokemon were exhausted.

"Maybe after a break?" she asked.

"Already?" Daniel asked. She looked blushed and looked away. "That's fine," he said with a laugh. They both leaned back against a rock and let their Pokemon rest for a bit. At that point, Candace returned and took a seat on a boulder off to the side.

"Daniel, can we spar now? Please?" Kyle exclaimed and dashed over to the older boy. Tori pampered her Pokemon and praised them for doing so well and being so patient with her.

Candace sighed.

"First the Aggrestic Contest and now the Cava Gym?" she thought to herself. "Am I losing it?"

She looked over at Daniel and Kyle who were engaged in an intense sparring match. Mime Jr. was struggling to hold up a Barrier under a relentless Dragonbreath from Gabite. There were waves of heat coming off the battle, cracking the ground under them.

"Kyle beat Quake…and I'm sure Daniel will too…so I should be able to too…but…what now?" she wondered. "I can't use Pachirisu, he'd be buried alive. I'm going to have to go with those three again."

"Vee?" Eevee asked, looking up at her trainer.

"I'm fine, Eevee, there's no need to be concerned," Candace assured. Eevee frowned, not convinced by her trainer's words. Larvitar approached the two and Eevee jumped off of Candace's lap to go talk to him. Candace was in deep thought when she heard Eevee shout. She looked up and the two Pokemon were positioned as if they were about to engage in battle, but it wasn't like their usual quarrel; it looked like an actual sparring match.

"What?" Candace said quietly.

"Vee!" Eevee said, firing a Shadow Ball at the Rock Skin Pokemon. It hit him square in the stomach and he took a few steps back, but appeared to be fine. Tori had noticed the battle and walked over.

"Larvitar is part Rock-type," she said. "It's got really high stamina…it looks like he's trying to prove himself to you…"

"He wants to help me win…" Candace concluded.

Larvitar raised his arms and a sudden gust of wind kicked up some dust and swirled it around. Sand appeared and whirled around with it and it became too thick to see anything. Candace, Tori and Eevee closed their eyes so they wouldn't get sand in them.

"EE!" Eevee said and burrowed underground to avoid the Sandstorm. Larvitar looked around for her.

"Vaiii," he said and dug underground to look for her, but almost immediately popped back out, being hit by Eevee. Two more Eevee popped out and one used the other as a springboard to get up higher and tackled Larvitar, sending him flying upwards. Another Eevee popped out and used that Eevee to do the same thing. Then Eevee after Eevee popped out and tackled him higher and higher until finally, the real Eevee jumped out of a hole, used many of the other Eevee as a springboard, and flipped up above Larvitar.

"Hey, look Daniel," Kyle said, noticing the battle from a distance. He and Daniel rushed over in time to see the Sandstorm subside and the Eevee tackling Larvitar up higher and higher. The final Eevee appeared above him and fired a Shadow Ball right into Larvitar's face. He crashed back down to the ground as all the fake Eevee disappeared. He stood up, outlined in blue, and the boulder next to him became outlined in blue as well. Raising his arms, the boulder flew up and hit Eevee on her way down. It broke apart against her and she kept falling…straight into his mouth. He crunched down and then kept chewing.

"Ouch…" Daniel said.

"What was that move?" Kyle asked.

"Rock Slide and now Crunch," the older boy answered.

"Larvitar, for the last time, Eevee is _not_ food!" Candace shouted, pulling Eevee out of his mouth. Eevee was pretty much unconscious.

"Poor Eevee…" Tori said.

"Lar!" Larvitar said, raising a fist.

"I guess I underestimated you…you're pretty strong…" Candace said. Larvitar nodded with a grin. Candace pulled out a Pokeball and held it out to him.

"Finally," Kyle said, rolling his eyes.

"Do you still wanna come with me?" she asked, smiling. "I could really use your help with that gym battle with –"

Larvitar didn't wait for her to finish. He reached out and touched the center of the ball. His body turned into red energy and the ball sucked him in, flashing a few times. Candace brought the ball in close and stared at it a few moments before smiling and sending her new Pokemon out.

The trainers spent the rest of the day training, and the two girls trained for their contest as well. They finished up at around dinner time and headed to a restaurant, then went back to the hotel when they were done. The next morning, Candace called room service and ordered enough food to last them about a week, and they had a big feast before heading back over to the Gym. That is, the trainers ate quickly before Larvitar could vacuum up everything remotely edible.

"We're back," Daniel said as they walked through the front door.

"Oh good, I've been waiting…" Quake said with a grin. "I've been waiting a long time to battle with you, Daniel. Don't let me down!"

"Oh I won't," Daniel said, following Quake down to the underground arena. The ref was sitting in a chair, reading a magazine and coughed before standing. The Gym Leader and his challenger positioned themselves and the others sat down in the stands.

Quake released Hippowdon into the ring, and the large Pokemon cracked open an eye as if to say, "What, again? So soon?"

Daniel grinned and pulled his problem child's ball from his belt. "Go, Totodile!"

"He's going to have it easy," Kyle remarked offhandedly.

"Huh?" Candace asked, distracted by thoughts of her own impending battle.

"Daniel," the boy said by way of explanation. "He's got two Pokemon that are strong against Ground-types and a third that is powerful enough to just bulldoze through them."

"Totodile, use…" Daniel hesitated. "Water Gun?" Totodile fired a thick stream of water at Hippowdon, and Daniel relaxed.

"Hippowdon, use Crunch!" Quake ordered. Hippowdon lunged at the smaller Pokemon, closing its mouth around it. Daniel grinned.

"Totodile! Can you hear me?" Daniel called.

A loud "DILE!" Could be heard from inside.

"Good! Use Bite!" There was a chomping sound, and Hippowdon screamed, shaking its head wildly. "Now use Water Gun!" There was a loud rushing sound, and water began spraying from the Ground-type's nostrils and the holes on its back, soaking the arena. Daniel grinned. "Perfect. Now use Bite again!" There was a louder chomp, and Hippowdon opened its mouth, revealing Totodile biting down on Hippowdon's tongue. "Let go, buddy! Get out of there!" Daniel shouted. Totodile released the Heavyweight Pokemon's tongue and jumped from his mouth, landing on the muddy floor of the arena. He started dancing, but slipped and fell on his ass.

"Hippowdon! Use Take Down!" Quake yelled. The wounded Pokemon crash-tackled Totodile, denting the wall of the arena. Pulling away, Hippowdon revealed Totodile had been pushed into a crater.

"You okay, Totodile?" The Big Jaw Pokemon wiggled free, landing on the floor. "Good!" Daniel shouted. "Hit him with Ice Fang!"

Totodile leaped, bolts of icy energy extending from his mouth. He dove headfirst into Hippowdon's left nostril and released the attack.

Hippowdon staggered, before falling over. Totodile's head poked out of Hippowdon's right nostril and he cheered.

Recalling his fallen Pokemon, Quake said, "Hippowdon might have gone down easy, but I assure you, this one won't. Go! Nidoqueen!"

Nidoqueen emerged, looking for an opponent. The Drill Pokemon spotted Totodile dancing around on the ground and cocked her head.

"Queen," she grunted.

"Yes, that's your opponent. Believe me, he's good. Now use Body Slam," Quake said.

Shrugging, Nidoqueen launched herself into the battle. She threw herself into the air, coming down on Totodile. The Water-type spotted the growing shadow and looked up, his eyes widening.

"This is going to hurt," Daniel said. "Use Ice Fang!"

Totodile's mouth sprang open, ice forming around its fangs. Totodile leaned his head back, angling his mouth like a bear trap. Nidoqueen's eyes bugged out, but it was too late to change course. There was a sickening crunch, and everyone looked away. Looking back, they found that Totodile was unconscious, but Nidoqueen was badly hurt, ridges of ice trailing along her hide.

Daniel recalled his fallen Water-type, saying "Nicely done, little guy. You didn't run, although I'm not sure if that was bravery or stupidity."

"Way to go, Totodile!" Kyle cheered.

Clipping the ball back onto his belt, Daniel pulled the steel-coated ball out, sent out Skarmory, and said, "Skarmory, take off. You're not going to be able to punch through that hide easily."

The Steel-type took flight, flapping around the ring slowly.

"Let him come to you, Nidoqueen," Quake said. "Let's not get hasty."

Daniel sighed. "I hate it when people make me rush. Alright, Skarmory. Just like we did at the Dojo. Use Agility!"

Skarmory zipped around the ring, gaining speed and whipping up wind. There was enough water and mud on the floor that Skarmory's passing began to make small waves in the water.

"I can't believe how fast Skarmory is," Tori said.

"Faster!" Daniel encouraged. "You can do it!"

"Nidoqueen, use…" Quake trailed off. "Damnit!"

Daniel grinned victoriously. "Frustrating, isn't it?"

"What's he talking about?" Kyle asked.

"Nidoqueen doesn't have any moves that can hit Skarmory. They're all close-combat moves," Candace said, remembering having faced Nidoqueen the day before.

Skarmory was screaming around the edge of the arena now, just as it had in the dojo in Aggrestic City. There was a solid wave of mud and water that was following its path in the vacuum created by Skarmory's passing.

"Whenever you feel ready," Daniel said calmly, examining his nails, looking almost bored, "hit her with Steel Wing. And make it a good one!"

"Nidoqueen, you'll only have a split second to react! Use Thunderpunch!"

Daniel blanched. "WHAT?" Skarmory smashed into Nidoqueen's Thunderpunch, frying the Steel-type. However, the solid wall of water and mud that was following Skarmory did not stop as Skarmory did, and crashed over the two Pokemon with enough force to send them both tumbling into the wall at high speed.

Skarmory slid off Nidoqueen's unconscious form, tottering a bit and falling flat on his back, also unconscious.

"Both Pokemon are unable to continue!" The referee said, rather unnecessarily.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Quake muttered, returning Nidoqueen.

"So what's next?" Daniel taunted. "Your Marowak? Or are you going to use Quagsire on me?"

"Neither," Quake shot back. "Go! Nidoking!"

Daniel plucked the black ball from his belt, enlarging it. "We're both down to our last Pokemon," the boy said, tossing the Pokeball, "But you're facing my strongest. Go! Gabite!"

Gabite emerged, ready for battle.

"Ah I remember you," Quake said, examining the Dragon-type.

"You ready to fight?" Daniel asked. Gabite roared, stretching to his full height. "Good! Use Dragonbreath!"

As Gabite sprayed the superheated blast of greenish air across the ring, Quake simply gestured to his Pokemon, and Nidoking spun, slapping the attack aside.

"Now use Thrash, Nidoking!" Quake ordered. Nidoking's eyes narrowed and it lunged, punching, kicking, and slamming Gabite with his tail.

"You can take him, buddy! Pin him!" The two Pokemon grappled, throwing each other across the ring. "Use Dragon Claw!" Gabite's claws glowed, and he raked Nidoking with his claws, knocking Quake's last Pokemon back. "Now, use Dragon Rush!" Gabite shot forward, leaving the ground as he became surrounded by a blue light. He slammed directly into Nidoking's armored chest, knocking the Pokemon head over heels. Nidoking struggled back to his feet.

"He's got him now," Candace said.

"Now, use Dig," Daniel ordered.

"What?" Candace spluttered, remembering how Quagsire had used Earthquake. "How? The ground is packed solid!"

"I haven't the slightest idea," Tori said, resting her chin on her hands. "I suppose we'll find out."

Gabite clawed at the muddy ground, digging underground. Candace's eyes widened. "The ground is muddy! He can go underground now!" she whispered excitedly. This greatly expanded her options.

"Nidoking, use Earthquake!" Nidoking stomped the ground, and the shockwaves traveled quickly.

"Stay down, Gabite! You can take it!" A cloud of dust came up from the hole where Gabite had crawled in, but Gabite did not emerge.

"What the…" Quake was stunned at how Gabite didn't come up after obviously being hit by Earthquake. "How?"

"I studied while I was here, Quake," Daniel said gleefully. "I know Nidoking's weakness."

Quake's eyes widened. "No. Not that. Anything but that!"

"Yes," Daniel said. "That." He raised his voice. "Gabite! ONE THOUSAND YEARS OF DEATH!" The ground shook, and Gabite came up directly under Nidoking, using Rock Smash, its two claws held close together and going straight up.

Candace, Kyle, Tori, Daniel, Quake, Eevee, Mime Jr., the referee, the people outside in the city, and every person and Pokemon in the entire Serrano region winced simultaneously.

Nidoking howled, flying straight up before collapsing in a whimpering heap.

"Nidoking is unable to battle," the referee said, "and may never battle again. Daniel wins!"

"Was that necessary?" Quake grumbled as Gabite strolled over to Daniel, high-fiving his trainer.

"Essential," Daniel said, whispering in Gabite's ear. The Pokemon's eyes bugged out, before it turned and ran headlong into a wall, shattering the rock and dirt.

"What's he doing?" Quake asked.

"Gabite likes gems," Daniel explained as handfuls of semi-precious stones flew from the tunnel Gabite was making. "I told him there were gems in the walls. I wasn't sure if I was right, but…" the boy bent, picking up a hunk of garnet the size of Eevee's head, "it seems I was." Tucking the massive stone into his pocket along with a few others, he left Gabite to his work, sitting down next to Candace. "Here," he said, passing her a diamond the size of his fist, "go buy yourself something nice." He turned to Kyle. "Have a rock," he said, dropping a heavy emerald into the boy's hands.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Kyle said, holding it up.

"Work on Mime Jr.'s Confusion," Daniel replied. "Have him hold it up for as long as he can."

Quake cleared his throat. "Well now, I'm not used to losing two days in a row. Good job you two!"

"Wait!" Candace said, entering the ring and pulling a Pokeball from her bag. "I want a rematch!"

"Already?" he asked.

"Yup," she said, confidently, and sent out Swablu.

"Alright, have it your way. Numel, come on out!" he said. The Fire-type appeared, looking pretty bored.

"Swablu, use Peck!" Beak glowing, Swablu shot forward, moving quite fast. In fact, much faster than Swablu had ever flown before. Candace turned and looked at Daniel, trying to look accusing. The boy gave her an overly large grin, and she laughed, turning back just in time to see Swablu shoot past Numel and Peck him across the face for the fifth time.

"Numel, use Flamethrower!" Numel yawned widely, spraying a thick stream of fire across the ring.

"Dodge it, Swablu!" Swablu banked, nearly spinning out of control at the speed she was moving, but ducked under the attack and came out unhurt, looking surprised.

"Anything else you wanna show me?" Candace shouted. Spinning, Swablu fired a solid Gust at Numel, knocking it off-balance. "Well then, use Peck now!" Speeding forward with a glowing beak, Swablu hit Numel directly in the stomach before looping back and executing a flawless barrel roll over Numel's retaliatory Flamethrower. Swablu followed it up with another Gust to the face, knocking Numel down and out.

Returning the unconscious Pokemon, Quake grimaced. "Quagsire, let's go!" he shouted as he sent out his amphibian. "Use Muddy Water!"

"Siiiiiire," the Pokemon sighed, sending out a wave of dirt-filled water that slapped Swablu against the wall. The Pokemon looked at itself and screamed, before flapping over to Quagsire and trying to rub itself clean.

"Swablu, use Peck!" Candace shouted, but got no response. Swablu was still frantically trying to clean itself off.

"Quagsire, use Slam!" Quake shouted. Lunging, Quagsire body-slammed Swablu into the wall with a nasty crunch. Pulling away from the wall, Quagsire let the battered Flying-type to slide to the floor.

Running over, Candace splashed through the puddles on the floor and gently picked up her youngest Pokemon. "You okay, Swablu?"

"Bloo…" Swablu replied faintly. Cradling the Pokemon in her arms, Candace walked back to her spot. Eevee poked out of her hood, sniffing Swablu.

Candace looked over at Daniel, who hopped down from the bleachers and gently took Swablu from her, carefully feeding the Pokemon some berries, one at a time. He took her back with him and she sat in his lap to watch the battle.

"Daniel?" Kyle asked, staring at Swablu.

"Hm?" Daniel asked.

"Just what did you do to Swablu?" the boy asked.

"Oh, I just had Skarmory give her some flying lessons. He seemed to like her, and took her under his wing, if you'll pardon the pun," Daniel said.

"Eevee," Candace began, "are you up for this?"

Hopping out of Candace's sweater, Eevee landed on the ring, setting her paws. "Use Double Team!" Eevee multiplied, and Quake shrugged.

"Use Muddy Water again!" he ordered. Quagsire sent out another wave of dirty water, wiping out the Eevee clones.

"Again, Eevee! Make more!" Candace shouted. The copies formed into a square, eight Eevee wide by six deep. They seemed winded from the exertion of making so many copies, but stood strong.

Quake rolled his eyes. "Muddy Water again, Quagsire."

Candace smiled. "Wait for it…" The wave approached. "Now! Use Dig!" The entire group dug underground, going beneath the wave.

"Use Earthquake!" Quake ordered. Quagsire stomped the ground, sending out an earthquake.

"Come on up, Eevee!" A literal horde of Eevee burst from the ground and jumped over the wave of the Earthquake, letting it pass harmlessly by. They were panting, but spread out.

"Eevee can't hold that many copies much longer," Tori said. "She's been using Double Team a lot over the past few days and her body can't take much more of it."

"Better end it fast, then," Kyle added.

"Eevee! Shadow Ball!" A mass of Shadow Balls blasted Quagsire clear across the arena, the dark energy lashing at the amphibian's body. Quagsire twitched once, but went limp.

"Quagsire, return!" Quake said, frustration clear in his tone. "I'm really getting tired of this."

"Don't worry," Candace said. "It won't last much longer. Just until I beat you." Eevee's clones flickered, and Candace frowned. "Eevee, come back." Padding off the ring, Eevee sat down and panted for a moment. "Sorry to put such a strain on you. You did great."

Quake grimaced. "Marowak, go!" Marowak took his place on the field.

"Hey! He got another bone," Kyle noted.

Candace closed her eyes, as if what she was about to say caused her physical pain. "Go! Larvitar!"

Daniel wiggled a finger in his ear. "I must have misheard her. She didn't just send out Larvitar, did she?"

"She did," Kyle said. Daniel worked his jaw.

"Have a little faith in him guys," Tori said, smiling. "Why do you think she finally caught him yesterday? He proved himself to be pretty strong. This is gonna be a good battle."

"Larvitar, use Sandstorm!" Candace ordered. Larvitar raised his arms and whipped up a loud, thick Sandstorm. Marowak, being a Ground-type, wasn't fazed by it, although it did become a bit more difficult for him to see. Candace ordered Larvitar to then use Dig and the Rock Skin Pokemon dug deep underground.

"Relax Marowak," Quake said. "Use Focus Energy."

"Maaare…" Marowak said as he closed his eyes and gripped his bone out in front of him with both hands.

"Use Crunch!" Candace ordered. Marowak focused and was able to sense where Larvitar was, jumping out of the way when he came out of the ground.

"Now use Bone Rush!" Quake ordered. Holding its bone like a bat, Marowak struck Larvitar with it and sent him flying. It appeared on the other side of him and wacked him again. Larvitar hit the ground and Marowak clobbered him with the bone, striking him over and over again.

"I can't see anything," Tori said.

"It looks like the Sandstorm's fading…" Daniel noted.

"Good," Kyle said. "It wasn't helping much anyway." The Sandstorm subsided and Larvitar was standing, rubbing at lump on his head that Marowak had created with his bone. Marowak was nowhere to be found.

"Not good," Candace said.

"Come on up and use Bone Club!" Quake commanded. Marowak popped up out of the ground and thumped Larvitar on the forehead with its bone.

"Tar!" Larvitar said, glaring at the Marowak as if to say, "Knock it off!"

Marowak laughed at its opponent as if to say "What? Haven't you ever battled before? Amateur…"

"Use Bone Rush again," Quake said and Marowak started beating Larvitar silly again. "It's a good thing your Larvitar can take a lot of hits. Otherwise, I'd say you were better off with the Growlithe!"

"Larvitar, use Rock Slide!" Candace ordered. Larvitar jumped backwards to get a little distance between him and the aggressive Marowak. Several of the boulders in the arena became outlined in blue and rose above Marowak as Larvitar lifted his arms. He pushed his arms outwards with a quick jerk and the rocks fell on top of Marowak, burying him.

"Er…" Quake said.

"Yeah, what was that?" Candace mocked, smiling.

"Bust out with Bone Rush then follow it up with Boomerang!" Quake ordered. The boulders shattered as Marowak broke out, swinging his bone. He hurled the bone and it pivoted toward Larvitar, smacking him in the head.

"Larvay-tar!" the Rock and Ground-type yelled out in frustration. Marowak landed and grinned.

"Use Rock Slide again," Candace ordered. "Marowak's gonna get tired if it keeps using Bone Rush."

"Lar…" Larvitar said, looking back at his trainer and rubbing his head as if to say "We'll _I'm _getting tired of that damn _bone_…"

He obeyed though and raised his arms.

"No way," Quake said. "Use Headbutt!"

Marowak charged and slammed into Larvitar's stomach with his head. Larvitar was winded and unable to pull off the move. He flew back and landed on his butt, so he stood up and rubbed it too.

"Tar…" he groaned.

"Boomerang, once more!" the Gym Leader ordered. Marowak flung his bone and Larvitar caught it in his mouth and chewed, snapping it up and swallowing it. Quake and Marowak gasped and stared, wide-eyed at the Larvitar. "Did he just eat a…"

"Yup," Candace said. "He'll eat just about anything."

Marowak was pissed. This was now the second bone that he would have to replace, not counting the one on his head. In fact, he was so mad that his anger developed into the move Rage. His whole body glowing red, he dashed forward, and beat Larvitar senseless, gaining power with each hit.

"We can top that," Candace said. "Larvitar use Thrash!"

Larvitar became faster, stronger, and angrier than Marowak. He punched, smacked, kicked, and bit at the Bone Keeper Pokemon. The two angry Pokemon scuffled and beat each other around until Larvitar's eyes began to glow red. Candace smiled.

"Larvitar's confused, how is that a good thing?" Kyle asked.

"Well he's pissed off and confused. What could come from this?" Daniel asked, obviously knowing what Candace was planning.

"Oh this won't end well," Tori whispered. Larvitar squeezed his eyes shut and began to glow yellow.

"_That _move? I've never met a Larvitar that knows…Hm…must have been tutored by someone or…something…" Quake thought to himself. "She's got this battle won…"

The ground began to shake and crack and yellow lava spewed up. Marowak fell down and a blast of lava exploded into his face. He fell back, unconscious and the ref called the match. Larvitar, still confused, continued his attack. The room began to shake violently.

"Ruh-roh," Quake said. "TIME TO GO!" Candace grabbed Larvitar and everyone in the room rushed out of the arena as quickly as possible. As soon as they got upstairs, Larvitar bit his new trainer and Candace dropped him.

"LEAVE HIM!" Quake said.

"But…" Candace said.

"He'll be FINE!" the Gym Leader assured. Everyone ran outside and Quake watched in horror as his gym collapsed to the ground. Larvitar apparently snapped out of his confusion because the shaking suddenly stopped.

"Larrr…" he said, emerging from the wreckage, rubbing his head.

"What are you people?" Quake asked, amazed.

"Just trainers," Daniel said, as they stood behind Candace. "Trainers who are headed to the top in a big way."

~_~_~  
Author Notes:

Read and review please. The end of Gabite's battle is just for all you Naruto fans xD My beta threw that in there and because I love Naruto, I laughed and kept. Oh and I know Swablu doesn't learn Gust. Her new move will be explained later.


	22. CH 22 An Intense Contest in Cava Town

**Chapter 22: An Intense Contest in Cava Town**

"Hurry you guys!" Candace shouted.

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Daniel called back.

"GUYS! Tori can't run in her long dress!" Kyle yelled.

"Sounds like a personal problem to me," Daniel teased.

"DANIEL!" Candace scolded.

It was the morning of the contest and the trainers had slept in and now had very few minutes to get to the contest hall or Candace and Tori could miss their turn and be disqualified.

"Do you hear that?" Tori asked. They passed by a large rock with an alarm clock at the top, ringing. A few people gathered around it with sticks, trying to knock it down and silence it.

"Well now we know where Pachirisu hid the damned alarm clock," Candace muttered.

"Where is Pachirisu anyway?" Daniel asked.

"Beats me…It's a good thing I'm not using him today!" she replied. Kyle tripped and face-planted into the dirt.

"You guys, wait up!" he cried, wiping dirt out of his mouth.

"Daniel, stay with him!" Candace called. "Tori and I have to get there _fast_."

"Ok," Daniel said and stopped, walking back to Kyle. "You okay, kid?"

"Yeah," Kyle said, spitting out dirt.

"I see the contest hall!" Candace shouted excitedly.

"Yay!" Tori exclaimed. The two girls arrived, panting, but just in time. Candace was up next. She took a deep breath and walked calmly to the arena. The boys arrived as she took her position on the stage, but they had decided to sit in the audience this time, so they took a seat in the large stands that circled about three-fourths of the Contest Hall. Lacey took a seat next to them.

"Mind?" she asked.

"Not at all," Daniel said. Kyle kind of glared at her when she wasn't looking, however.

"Eevee, come on out!" Candace cheered. Eevee popped out, surrounded by heart-shaped discs, awaiting orders. "Use Dig!"

"Vee!" Eevee said with a nod and dug underground.

"You know, her Dig-Shadow Ball trick is getting pretty old," Kyle noted.

"Hey, she might surprise us," Daniel replied.

"Alright, are you ready for that formation we practiced?" Candace asked. "Totem Pole Formation!"

Eevee after Eevee popped out of the ground and began to stand on each other's backs, building a giant tower of Eevee. Once it got too high, the Eevee clones used Quick Attack to run up the side of it and keep stacking until it was almost to the roof.

"That's Double Team at its best, folks! Look at all of em!" Emma announced.

"I've never seen a Pokemon use Double Team so well! I can't imagine the time and effort they put into the practice of producing that many functioning replicas of itself," Contesta praised.

"Not to mention the effort that went into getting their balance down. That 'totem pole' looks incredibly stable, not even close to toppling," Nurse Joy added.

"Eevee, get to the top!" Candace ordered. The real Eevee popped out of the ground and used Quick Attack to run up the side of the tower, and took her place at the top, merely inches from the ceiling.

"Now what?" Kyle asked.

"Just watch," Daniel said.

"Eevee! Use Shadow Ball!" Candace commanded. The real Eevee opened her mouth and a Shadow Ball began to form. She then lowered her head and fired it straight down the totem pole. All of the fake Eevee disappeared as it touched them, so Eevee fell straight down as her bases were destroyed. She straightened out her body as she free-fell, looking as tight and clean as she could. Everyone, save Candace and Tori, held their breath, knowing Eevee would be severely injured if she hit the ground. Candace tossed out a large, blue sheet as soon as the Shadow Ball hit the last Eevee, and four more fakes popped out of the ground, each taking a corner of the sheet into their mouth and spreading it out tight, below the real Eevee. She landed and bounced on the sheet a couple times before flipping off and landing on Candace's shoulder. The four fakes disappeared and the sheet fell delicately to the ground.

"Phew!" Emma said. "That was a little scary! What a daredevil!"

"It was a very nice display of Eevee's talents," Nurse Joy praised.

"Not to mention entertaining," Contesta added.

"It was remarkably remarkable!" Mr. Sukizo added.

"Can someone please get him a dictionary so he can use a wider range of vocabulary than 'remarkable?' It's getting to be annoying," Kyle muttered.

"Next up is Aggrestic Contest Winner: Tori!" Emma called out as Candace and Eevee returned to the lobby. She passed Tori in the hallway.

"I'm gonna do it," Tori said without stopping. Candace halted.

"WHAT?" she demanded. Tori remained silent and kept going. "Tori, no! What are you thinking?"

Tori turned her head and smiled. Whatever she was planning, there was nothing Candace could do to stop her. Candace nodded and walked back to the lobby, scared for her friend.

"Lapras, it's show time!" Tori cheered. Lapras came out, shrouded in a veil of shimmering mist.

"This is some risky…" Candace thought. "I hope she'll pull it off or it's going to be a disaster…"

"Freeze the arena!" Tori ordered. Lapras used Ice Beam to transform entire arena into an ice rink and skated to the very center of it.

"Look at that ice sparkle," Emma commented.

"Now make a boulder," Tori said. Lapras used Ice Beam to form a ball of ice that resembled a large rock. She pushed off of it and slid back a bit.

"Now make a Lapras ice sculpture," Tori said. Lapras used Ice Beam to form a perfect replica of herself with her head in tilted upwards and her two front flippers in the air.

"What precision in control! I've never seen anything like it before," Contesta commented.

"What a beautiful ice sculpture," Nurse Joy added.

"Remarkable!" Mr. Sukizo praised.

"Now skate back to the rock in use Water Gun!" Tori ordered. Lapras pushed off the Lapras sculpture and went back to the boulder of ice. Then she tilted her head back and sprayed water up into the air with Water Gun.

"Here comes the tricky part…I can't believe you're using this…" Candace thought.

"Now use Ice Beam then Water Gun again!" Tori added. She used Ice Beam to freeze over the gout of water and followed it up with one more blast of water, sending the chunk of ice flying straight up into the air. Pushing off the 'boulder,' she slid back to her Lapras sculpture, got behind it, and slammed into it. It slid forward and was stopped by the boulder. The frozen Water Gun fell back down, landing in the sculpture's mouth.

"WOW!" Kyle exclaimed. Even Lacey was shocked.

"Th-that's amazing," Emma said. The judges were speechless. Lapras had created one big ice sculpture of a Lapras holding itself up on a rock, spraying water up into the air. Candace and Tori both sighed in relief.

"You hadn't pulled that off once until just now…I just can't believe it," Candace whispered.

"Now use Mist!" Tori added. Lapras opened her mouth and a thick, glimmering cloud came out and drifted around the arena. The ice glittered even more and everyone watching was absolutely dazzled, including Tori.

"Watch out Lacey, you've got some real competition here," Emma thought to herself, smiling.

There were a few more appeals, but most of the coordinators and Pokemon performed before Candace and Tori got there. After the final preliminary performance, the judges announced that they had selected who would continue to the next round. Tori's picture appeared first on the screen, followed by Candace, followed by six other coordinators. The computer jumbled the pictures up and showed the arrangement for the battles.

"Up first is Tori and Gracie!" Emma announced. Tori and another blond-haired girl took the stage.

"Flaaffy, it's show time!" Tori cheered and sent out Flaaffy. Pink confetti danced around her electrically charged body and flittered to the ground.

"Clefairy, I choose you!" Gracie cheered. Her Clefairy popped out without the effects of any seal. "Use Light Screen!"

A blue, rectangular screen appeared in front of Clefairy as it swayed its hands.

"Light Screen-Tackle!" Tori ordered. A light blue screen appeared in front of Flaaffy as well, and she charged forward, ramming into the Clefairy.

"CLEEH!" Clefairy cried as she was thrown back from the impact.

"Now use Discharge!" Tori added. Flaaffy charged up for a few moments before discharging massive blue sparks from her tail.

"Defense Curl!" Gracie ordered. Clefairy curled up, cutting the damage taken from Discharge. "And Rollout!"

The moment that Flaaffy's move finished, Clefairy rolled forward.

"Quick! Hit it away with your tail!" Tori called desperately. Flaaffy swung hard, tail discharging sparks, at just the right second, giving Clefairy a quick jolt of electricity and sending her soaring once again.

"Wow! Talk about quick-thinking!" Emma commented. "A counter and a combination all in one!"

"Power Gem, Flaaffy!" Tori cheered, laughing a little because she was doing so well, and Lacey smiled at this. Flaaffy formed a large orange ball of energy and fired it at the Clefairy.

"Time to break out the wild card," Gracie said. "Clefairy, use Metronome!"

"How risky," Lacey commented. "Even the best coordinators have troubles with that move…I'm surprised that an inexperienced coordinator would even consider using that move…you never know what it'll do. The user can pull off any move with Metronome, but it's completely random. Random and contests don't really mix. You need a solid idea of what your Pokemon can and will do. If you're looking for an offensive move and Metronome results in a defensive move, it could mean game over…"

"You got this, Tori!" Kyle shouted, but she didn't hear him.

"Cleh-fare-ee, cleh-fare-ee!" Clefairy chanted as she moved her fingers from side-to-side. It resulted in the move Psychic; her eyes glowed blue and she forced Flaaffy's Power Gem right back at her. Flaaffy took a huge hit and fell back.

"Come on Flaaffy!" Tori encouraged. "Get up!"

"Fee..." Flaaffy said, struggling to stand.

"There ya go," Daniel said.

"Yeah! Go Flaaffy!" Kyle cheered.

"Use Metronome again!" Gracie ordered.

"Again?" Candace asked herself, looking at the screen, back in the lobby. "Don't press your luck…"

This time, Metronome resulted in Hyper Beam. In a desperate attempt to decrease the impact of the blast, Tori ordered Flaaffy to use Light Screen, but it was no match for Hyper Beam. It forced her back and gave Gracie the lead as far as points went, and the clock was ticking.

"Contests can turn around in a matter of seconds," Lacey said. "Gracie won't be in the lead for long…as long as Tori doesn't lose her self-confidence."

"Use Metronome _again_!" Gracie ordered.

"Okay, this is getting ridiculous. People can't win contests just by being lucky. I hate it when inexperienced coordinators pull stuff like this. Doesn't she have _any_ understanding of the consequences if this move doesn't result in something useful? And where are her combinations? She's supposed to be entertaining this audience…that's the whole point of contests…" Lacey rambled, more of to herself than Daniel and Kyle. She didn't seem all that upset or snobbish, just disappointed. It wasn't an "I'm an amazing coordinator and you're not" attitude, it was more of a "Where's the show? We want to be dazzled!" attitude.

Clefairy gripped Flaaffy's tail and began to swing her around and around.

"Must be Seismic Toss," Emma said. Clefairy picked up speed and force but Tori smiled, remembering the first time she and Candace battled…

"_Bite it," Candace said. Growlithe planted itself firmly to the ground, opened his mouth, and braced himself. Mareep charged but was stopped in its tracks with a very powerful bite around her head._

_"MAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" she cried._

_"Quick, Mareep! Use Thundershock before it lets go!" Tori said. Mareep shocked Growlithe as hard as she could._

_"GROWOWOWOWOW!" he cried, then released the Mareep and fell over in defeat._

"Um, no offense," Tori said. "But physical contact with Electric-types is _huge_ mistake. Flaaffy, use Thundershock!" she ordered. Electricity surged through Flaaffy's tail and discharged from the ball at the end of it. Clefairy was lit up by yellow sparks and fried by the attack, forcing her to release her grip on Flaaffy's tail. Because the preparation for seismic toss was cut short, it failed and Flaaffy managed to back-flip and land gracefully.

"M-metronome again!" Gracie insisted.

"Give it up," Daniel said with a smile. The Metronome created a large Flamethrower but Flaaffy dodged it with ease.

"Metronome!" Gracie shouted, unsure of what else she could do. Clefairy's body glowed brightly from Morning Sun and she healed completely. Letting out a sigh of relief, Gracie smiled and looked back at her opponent.

"Nuh-uh," Tori said. "We're turning this around. Upstage them with Flash!"

Flaaffy nodded and her body began to glow too, much more brightly than Clefairy's.

"Doubleslap!" Gracie ordered. Clefairy stopped glowing and dashed forward.

"Tackle," Tori said. Flaaffy, still glowing, charged forward and collided with the incoming Clefairy. The Fairy Pokemon landed on its back and the timer dinged. Everyone focused on the scoreboard up above, and Gracie's picture disappeared from it. The word "WINNER" appeared above Tori's image and the crowd went wild. Tori blushed; she must have completely forgotten about the audience.

Emma requested the next two coordinators to take their place on the stage. Candace and Tori watched from the lobby, studying the two coordinators carefully. The winner's name was Lee and he had a Corsola. It was interesting because he didn't use ball capsules, but the Corsola still looked amazing without that extra appeal. Next up would be Candace and a coordinator named Tyler. The two headed out to the stage.

"Ready, you two?" Emma asked.

"Yup!" Candace said. "Swablu, let's do this!"

"Bloo!" Swablu tweeted as a lovely melody chimed from the musical seals that Candace placed on her ball capsule.

"Espeon, come on out!" Tyler said. His Espeon popped out, submerged in some sort of dark purple fog.

"Man, I wish I had my Pokedex on me…" Candace thought to herself.

"Boy would Candace like to know about," Kyle said, pointing his dex at it.

"Espeon, the Sun Pokemon: Its velvet-like fur is so sensitive, that it can predict the weather, and even the opponent's next move. The orb on its forehead glows when it uses its Psychic abilities," the dex informed.

"Espeon, use Shadow Ball!" the coordinator ordered. His Espeon opened its mouth and released a purple ball of energy.

"Dodge it!" Candace commanded. Swablu flew to the side, avoiding the Shadow Ball with ease.

"Now use Confusion!" Tyler added. Espeon's eyes glowed blue and the Shadow Ball changed course, flying right back at Swablu. The Cotton Bird Pokemon flew away, but it followed her wherever she went until it finally hit her.

"Swablu!" Candace cried.

"Follow it up with Quick Attack!" the coordinator ordered. Espeon zipped forward and leaped into the air, heading towards Swablu.

"Gust!" Candace countered. Swablu flapped her wings and a powerful gust of wind was formed, blowing Espeon back down to the ground.

"Gust? I could have sworn that that Pokemon can't learn Gust…" Lacey said.

"It doesn't…" Daniel said.

"Hm, looks like a Twister in progress," Lacey said, nodding.

"What?" Kyle asked.

"With time, she can probably improve this 'Gust' and develop the move Twister, which is much more powerful; I would take Twister over Gust any day. Plus, Twister isn't a Flying-type move…it's a Dragon-type move," Lacey explained.

"Dragon?" Kyle asked.

"Like Daniel's Gabite," Lacey said.

"Erm...how exactly do you know about Gabite? I don't keep him a secret, but one doesn't exactly advertise that one has a Dragon-type as their partner," Daniel said.

"Kirlia told me…" Lacey said innocently.

"Kirlia…" Daniel echoed.

"She's…kinda…been…spying on you…" Lacey said.

"She has, or _you_ have?" Kyle accused.

"No, quietly observing people is Tori's thing. I've been trying to…sort things out. Kirlia has been getting pretty restless and I'm not exactly sure why, but you fascinate her," Lacey explained.

"Espeon, use Morning Sun and Psybeam!" the coordinator ordered. The three turned their focus back to the contest. Espeon's body lit up beautifully and she recovered a little. Still glowing, she released a multicolored beam from the red orb on her forehead that hit Swablu and sent her flying down to the ground, but she got back up. Tyler then told Espeon to use Swift, so it charged and leaped up above Swablu.

"Aerial Ace!" Candace ordered. Swablu flew upwards, wind gathering along her body, right through the mass of star-shaped discs. They were dispersed, shooting off in various directions, and Espeon got out of the way to avoid being hit, but Swablu kept going, and stopped several feet above the Espeon.

"Now use Shadow Ball!" Tyler ordered. Espeon fired a Shadow Ball straight up and Candace told Swablu to use the most powerful Peck that she could. Swablu's beak lit up and extended before she dived straight down, piercing the Shadow Ball with her beak. A bursting explosion resulted and Swablu kept going, straight into Espeon.

"Pretty fireworks," Emma commented.

"I knew more power would have that effect," Candace thought to herself, proudly.

"Tackle it!" Tyler yelled. Espeon ran forward, towards Swablu.

"Sing!" Candace commanded. Swablu began to chirp a beautiful song and Espeon stopped dead in its tracks before collapsing, having fallen into a deep slumber.

"Alright!" Kyle cheered.

"Now use Gust then Peck!" Candace ordered. Swablu whipped up another gust of wind, causing Espeon to fly up into the air. Her beak lit up and extended, then she flew forward, rotating like a drill. She zipped around from all different directions, hitting Espeon several times from several different directions until it fell back down and hit the ground. Swablu's beak turned to normal and the timer went off. Candace was clearly the winner.

The next battle was pretty quick; a trainer named Jerry had an awfully powerful Froslass that completely wiped out the other coordinator's Pokemon. Candace and Tori weren't the least bit worried though. They were actually pretty excited. Up next would be Tori and Lee, so they positioned themselves and sent out their Pokemon.

"Corsola, use Rock Blast!" Lee ordered. Three yellow rings, which consisted of tiny rocks, formed and spun around Corsola's body. The rings began to glow white and the tiny rocks shot rapidly towards Flaaffy.

"Flaaffy, use Light Screen!" Tori ordered. Flaaffy raised her arms and a blue shield appeared in front of her. The rocks hit the Light Screen, exploding upon contact, and Flaaffy gritted her teeth because they still hurt her a bit.

"Now use Tackle!" Lee commanded. The Corsola charged forward and Tori told Flaaffy to use Flash. Flaaffy lit up brightly, blinding Corsola and stopping it in its tracks.

"Good job Flaaffy!" Tori praised. "Keep it up!"

"Corsola, you can make it stop with Earth Power!" Lee shouted. The Corsola focused and suddenly, the ground began shaking and cracking.

"Well, well…_that_ looks familiar," Candace thought to herself as yellow lava spewed from the cracks.

"I guess we know what that move Larvitar used is, now," Kyle said.

"Earth Power, huh? Well Tori better come up with something fast. An Electric-type like Flaaffy won't last long if it continues," Daniel said.

"Flaaffy, use Signal Beam! Quick!" Tori ordered. A white orb formed at Flaaffy's forehead and emitted a bright, rainbow-colored beam of energy that hit Corsola head on. Earth Power ceased as Corsola flew back from the impact.

"Use Bubblebeam!" Lee ordered. Corsola fired a line of bubbles at Flaaffy and Tori smiled.

"Thundershock," she said. Flaaffy discharged yellow sparks that licked out, popping all of the bubbles one by one. Sparkling droplets of water rained down from each bubble upon being popped.

"Let's see you try that with this! Jump up and _then_ use Bubblebeam!" Lee ordered. Corsola jumped up above Flaaffy and began somersaulting while releasing a flurry of bubbles which shot out in every possible direction.

"Discharge!" Tori ordered. Flaaffy discharged a massive amount of blue electricity and popped every single bubble, zapping Corsola in the process.

"Use Harden," Lee said. Corsola tensed its body to cut the damage being taken from Flaaffy's Discharge and then dropped down to the ground, landing on its feet. "Now use Rock Blast!" the coordinator added. Three yellow rings formed around Corsola, turned white, and shot out a bunch of tiny rocks.

"Power Gem!" Tori ordered. Flaaffy formed a Power Gem with her arms and tossed it at the incoming rocks. Absorbing them, it kept going and crashed into Corsola, creating a huge explosion.

"Corsola!" Lee cried. Corsola struggled to stand but awaited further orders. "Recover…"

Corsola concentrated and many of its wounds vanished as its body sparkled for a few moments.

"Flaaffy, use a Light Screen-Tackle!" Tori ordered.

"We can top that, use a _Harden_-Tackle!" Lee shouted. Corsola tensed its body and Flaaffy formed a blue shield once more. The two charged forward and collided head on. They flew back in opposite directions and hit the ground hard. The last few seconds on the clock ticked by as the two struggled to stand, and then the timer dinged. The screen showed that Tori had a significantly higher amount of points than Lee.

"And that means Tori has made it passed the semi-finals and will continue to the final round! Next up is Candace and Jerry!" Emma cheered. Tori let out a sigh of relief and smiled. She passed Candace and Jerry in the hallway and wished them good luck. Jerry tipped his hat and Candace grinned. Tori continued to the lobby and the other two positioned themselves.

"Froslass, let's go!" Jerry called, sending out a Froslass who twirled amongst a blizzard of snowflakes. Candace sent out Swablu.

"Ready? Begin!" Emma exclaimed.

"Froslass, use Ominous Wind!" Jerry ordered. The Froslass crossed her arms and flung them outwards, creating a purple gust of wind.

"Swablu, use Aerial Ace through it," Candace said. Swablu flew straight through the purple wind and some of its energy was absorbed into the air current she was creating as she flew. She kept going and rammed into Froslass, hitting it with both Aerial Ace and some of Ominous Wind's power.

"The girls are doing so well today!" Kyle cheered.

"I can't wait to see them battle each other," Lacey said.

"Yup! Won't be long now," Kyle said. "YOU GOT THIS!" he cheered.

"Well, it may not necessarily be in this contest…Keep in mind that these battles can turn around in no time…" Lacey said.

"Swablu! Use Peck just like you did at the end of the last battle," Candace ordered. Swablu rotated like a drill and moved forward.

"Drill Peck?" Kyle asked.

"Not exactly," Daniel said.

"As close to Drill Peck as Swablu's going to get. If she were using Drill Peck, just her beak would be spinning and her body would be still…" Lacey explained. Kyle pictured this for a moment and smiled.

"_That_ I've gotta see!" he said.

"Confuse Ray!" Jerry shouted. Froslass' eyes glowed purple and a purple aura formed around her, and Swablu happened to look into her eyes. The Cotton Bird Pokemon halted in mid-flight and her eyes turned red. She whirled around and flew directly into a wall, then thrashed about for a bit. Candace's points shot down.

"Come on Swablu! Snap out of it!" Candace urged. Swablu dive-bombed her and they both fell to the ground. Swablu's eyes stopped glowing and she shook her head. Candace stood up, holding Swablu in her arms.

"Bloo," Swablu said, flying out of Candace's arms and dusting her trainer's face a little.

"No need for apologies, are you okay?" Candace asked. Swablu chirped. "Good."

"Double Team!" Jerry ordered. Froslass multiplied and awaited further orders.

"Aerial Ace," Candace said. Swablu zipped around, destroying all the fakes and neared the real Froslass.

"Quick, use Astonish!" Jerry shouted. A wicked expression fell upon Froslass' face and she opened her mouth to screech. Swablu stopped because the awful noise made her cringe.

"Make it stop with Gust!" Candace ordered. Swablu flapped her wings, creating a powerful gust of wind.

"Counter it with Ominous Wind!" Jerry commanded. Froslass crossed her arms and flung them outward, creating yet another gust of purple wind. This purple wind over-powered the regular wind and blew Swablu away.

"Swablu!" Candace cried. "Use Aerial Ace!"

"Bloo!" Swablu said, getting a hold of herself. She dashed forward and Jerry smiled.

"Icy Wind," he said.

"No!" Candace cried. Froslass crossed her arms and flung them outwards, creating a chilly wind with chunks of snow in it. The frosty wind swallowed Swablu and she fell down to the ground, rolled, and kicked up a cloud of dirt. There was a buzz, three red X's appeared below the judges and they announced that Swablu had been knocked out.

"This means that Jerry will advance to the final round! Tori come on back out!" Emma announced. Candace called Swablu back and walked back to the lobby. Tori arrived on the stage and sent Flaaffy out.

"Double Team!" Jerry ordered.

"Discharge!" Tori shouted after the Froslass multiplied. All of the replicas were destroyed and the real one was zapped as well.

"Candace lost because Swablu's close-range attacks put them at a disadvantage and the only long-range attack they could use was too weak and easily countered by that Froslass' Ominous Wind. Tori's at a huge advantage because most of Flaaffy's attacks are powerful, long-range attacks," Daniel explained.

"Froslass, use Confuse Ray," the coordinator said. Froslass' body and eyes glowed purple and she focused on Flaaffy.

"Don't look into her eyes!" Tori warned. Flaaffy closed her eyes and turned away. "Lower your head and use Signal Beam!"

Flaaffy dropped her head and a white orb formed at her forehead. From it, she shot a rainbow-colored beam at her opponent.

"Astonish!" Jerry ordered. Flaaffy's Signal Beam was cut short when Froslass let out a terrible screech. She closed her eyes and covered her ears. "Now try it again!" he added.

"Fee…" Flaaffy managed and then the sound stopped, so she opened her eyes and glanced forward, catching a glimpse of Froslass' eyes. Flaaffy closed her eyes again, but when she opened them, they were red and she began thrashing about.

"Flaaffy, no!" Tori cried. "Get a hold of yourself!"

"Use Double Team and then Ominous Wind!" Jerry ordered. Froslass multiplied and surrounded Flaaffy. Each Froslass crossed its arms and flung them outwards, creating multiple purple gusts of wind. Flaaffy was hit from all sides and the force of each gust kept her in place; she didn't get blown away. She cried out and managed to snap out of her confusion.

"Good, Flaaffy!" Tori praised.

"Icy Wind," Jerry said. All of the Froslass crossed their arms again, but this time created several icy gusts of wind.

"We can't dodge, but we can use it to our advantage! Use Flash!" Tori ordered. Flaaffy's body lit up and the light mixed with the ice and the wind glittered around her. She took the full damage from the attack, but she looked great, so the other coordinator lost points too.

"Her ability to think so quickly is amazing!" Lacey exclaimed, excitedly. "I mean she's just a newbie and she's better than coordinators I've seen competing in the Grand Festival…and they've been at this for a while now."

"Well Daniel polished her up a bit," Kyle praised.

"Just her strength and confidence," Daniel said, grinning.

"That's great!" Lacey said. "Oh and Candace isn't too bad either."

"Yeah, but she needs a little polishing up too; I'll be working with her next," Daniel said.

"Hey! What about me?" Kyle whined.

"One at a time! You can be after," Daniel assured.

"Well then who's going to polish _you_ up?" Lacey teased. He quirked an eyebrow.

"I resent that implication," Daniel said, with mock indignation. Lacey giggled.

The Froslass were all drifting around at this point, awaiting orders. Jerry called the next move: Astonish. Everyone in the audience covered their ears and Flaaffy cringed; the sound was worse than nails on a chalkboard. The clones all drifted to the ceiling as they screeched.

"Discharge!" Tori ordered. Flaaffy silenced them by firing a jolt of electricity straight up.

"Ominous wind!" Jerry shouted. The real Froslass twirled around and used Ominous Wind to blow itself out of the way, but Flaaffy managed to destroy all of the fakes. The real one appeared behind Flaaffy and Jerry ordered it to use Confuse Ray.

"Flash!" Tori yelled. Flaaffy blinded Froslass and the Snow Land Pokemon closed its eyes and shielded them with its arms before Flaaffy could look into them.

"Astonish!" Jerry ordered. Froslass let out yet another horrible screech and Flaaffy covered her ears.

"Discharge!" Tori shouted. Flaaffy managed to zap Froslass and silence her as well.

"Ominous Wind!" Jerry commanded.

"Captivate!" Tori ordered. Flaaffy twirled in place and pink hearts whirled around her, multiplying and rising up. They mixed with the wind and both moves swirled around Flaaffy as she twirled. "Now use Discharge!" Tori added.

"Dodge and use Ominous Wind," Jerry said. Froslass dived down, gliding below the attack, and she used Ominous Wind right up close, blowing Flaaffy away. Flaaffy stood, trembling in exhaustion.

"Hang in there," Tori said, noticing that there were mere seconds left and the points were pretty equal.

"Froslass…float up above her and use Double Team then Icy Wind!" Jerry shouted. Froslass obeyed, multiplying and creating a chilly gust of wind.

"Light Screen!" Tori ordered. Flaaffy ducked, covering her head and a blue shield appeared over her. She was still hurt by the attack, but the damage was cut slightly and the ice made the shield glimmer and shine. "Discharge!" Tori added.

"Flaaffy electrocuted the Froslass, but it didn't go down. Both Pokemon panted and showed signs of extreme exhaustion.

"Knock her back down with one more Ominous Wind! Come on, let's finish this!" Jerry shouted.

"Power Gem!" Tori added. Froslass created yet another gust of wind and Flaaffy formed a Power Gem. She held it up in one paw and used the other paw to put a spin on it, like how basketball players often spin basketballs on their finger tips. She chucked it into the wind, and it spun around and around, absorbing all of the wind and growing in size and power. It smashed into Froslass and she was engulfed by a bright flash. When the brightness faded, sparkles were raining down over the arena and the audience. Froslass was still conscious, but in severe pain and clearly on the verge of passing out. The timer dinged and the scoreboard showed that Tori was victorious, by a slight margin. Lacey stood up.

"Going somewhere?" Daniel asked.

"On my way to Hugel for a contest," she said. "I still don't want Tori to ever know I was here."

"You were here?" Daniel asked, winking at her.

"Yeah, your secret's safe with us," Kyle assured, smiling.

"Well, I'll be seeing you," she said, and turned to leave.

"WAIT!" Kyle shouted.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"You never told us about you and Tori…how do you know each other? Are you friends? Rivals?" Kyle asked.

"Tori…is my sister," Lacey said, and with that she left. Kyle and Daniel sat silently.

"You did great, little sister…absolutely amazing…far better than I ever was when I first became a coordinator. That was a fantastic performance…I hope you really give me a run for my money in the upcoming Hugel Contest…" Lacey thought to herself. She was walking along, outside of the Contest Hall with Kirlia at her side. "But be careful, you two…This is going to be your most challenging contest yet…be prepared to face all of your rivals…"

~_~_~  
Author Notes:

Read and review please.


	23. CH 23 More Issues

**Chapter 23: More Issues**

"So where to?" Kyle asked.

"Hugel City," Tori replied.

"The Port City," Daniel added.

"So we can go to the beach?" Candace asked.

"Well…not exactly. There's no beach in Hugel…just a massive port," Daniel said.

"Well that's no fun," Candace said, packing away her contest attire.

"Oh well," Daniel said. "The current there is so strong it would be too dangerous for a beach. I mean, you can swim in the water, but don't expect to come back."

"And there's a gym, right?" Kyle asked.

"Yup," Daniel replied.

"Yes!" Kyle exclaimed. "Let's go!"

"Hey, we're waiting on you," Candace said. Candace, Tori and Daniel had their bags packed and were standing next to the door, but Kyle's things were still scattered all around the room.

"AHHH!" he shouted and, along with Mime Jr., rushed to get everything ready.

"This is why we _told_ you to get some of your stuff ready last night," Daniel lectured.

"Yeah, and we're tired of waiting for you. You're just dead weight," Candace joked.

"Not funny," Kyle growled, shoving his hoodie over his head. "Ok ready."

Tori blushed and looked away, Candace rolled her eyes and Daniel smiled.

"What?" Kyle asked.

"We were just wondering if you were planning on wearing pants today," Daniel said, trying not to laugh. "If not, it's okay. We're just curious."

Kyle looked down and realized that he was still in boxers. He gasped and unpacked practically everything he had just shoved into his bag to find a pair of pants. He pulled them up and stuffed everything back into his bag. His face was red with embarrassment, almost as red as Tori's face.

"Let's…go…" he said. The four checked out of the hotel and hit the road.

"I'm looking forward to sunlight again," Candace said as they neared the light shining in through the cave mouth.

"You know what I'm looking forward to?" Kyle asked.

"What?" Candace asked, taking the first step out of the cave. She breathed in the fresh air and sighed, but there was someone blocking their path.

"Angel…" Kyle said.

"Kyle…" his rival replied.

"Jackass…" Daniel muttered.

"Pachi!" Pachirisu yelled, zipping off.

"I have _four_ gym badges now," Kyle boasted. "How many do _you_ have?"

"Four," he answered.

"So, we're even," Kyle said.

"Not for long," Angel scoffed. "Because I'll be getting my fifth today. You've still got a three to four day walk from here to Hugel for _your_ fifth badge, so I'll be ahead of you very soon."

Kyle gritted his teeth and reached for a Pokeball at his belt.

"You're of no interest to me," Angel said, shifting his glance from Tori to Candace to Daniel.

"Well, _get_ interested," Kyle said, clutching the ball tightly and extending it.

"Nah, I'd rather battle one of your friends here," Angel said, just to get on Kyle's nerves.

"Donphan!" Kyle shouted, throwing the Pokeball. Donphan popped out and stomped the ground.

"Fine," Angel said with a sigh. "But let's make this quick, one-on-one."

"Fine by me," Kyle agreed with a smile.

"Grovyle, let's go!" Angel said, sending out his first Pokemon, who had apparently evolved.

"Donphan, Grovyle is really agile, so use Dig!" Kyle ordered. Donphan grunted and used Rollout. Grovyle jumped, dodging it with ease.

"Uh-oh," Candace said.

"I said _Dig_!" Kyle snapped. "Don't pull a Totodile!"

Donphan came out of the Rollout and charged at Grovyle who easily dodged it once again. Kyle denied that Donphan was actually being disobedient and just blamed it on a hearing problem. "NOT TAKE DOWN, _DIG_!" he shouted.

"Hm…even your Pokemon don't respect you," Angel said.

"Mime!" Mime Jr. disagreed.

"Yeah, he just can't hear me, that's all!" Kyle exclaimed desperately.

"Well except for the weak ones," Angel corrected, ignoring Kyle's claim. Mime Jr. gritted his teeth because he knew that insult was directed at him.

"DDDOOOOOONNNNNPPHAN!" Donphan cried out in frustration, standing up on his hind legs. He slammed his front legs down, causing the ground to rumble and shake. Everyone fell down and a nearby boulder shattered.

"_That's_ Earthquake!" Daniel said. The new move succeeded in injuring Grovyle but he stood and shook it off. Donphan immediately curled into Rollout and rolled towards Grovyle once again.

"Leaf Blade," Angel said, clearly bored out of his mind. The leaves on Grovyle's arm began to glow bright green and he slashed at the incoming Donphan. Donphan came out of the Rollout and flew back, then rolled towards Grovyle _again_. Grovyle jumped up, flipping over him, and Donphan crashed right into a tree.

"Donphan! Don't attack unless I say!" Kyle pleaded.

"Not very bright, are you, Donphan? Grovyle, use Quick Attack and Leaf Blade," Angel said. Grovyle zipped around Donphan, faster than the eye could see. Donphan was cut and cried out in pain. Another gash appeared, followed by another and another and another, but no one could detect Grovyle; he was just too fast. Donphan backed up slowly, eyes shut tightly, as more slices appeared around his body.

"Damn," Candace said.

"Donphan, if you would just listen to me, this wouldn't be happening! Please trust me!" Kyle pleaded. Donphan opened his eyes and glared at the boy who dared consider himself as his trainer, giving him a look as if to say, "I'll show _you_ who's in command here," and charged at Kyle. The boy stood silently; he didn't move, he didn't speak, he didn't breathe, and for a moment, he couldn't hear or feel anything around him, and could see nothing except Donphan, coming at him. It was as if time was moving slowly for Kyle, almost at a complete stop. He didn't even notice Mime Jr. run out in front of him. He snapped out of his daze as Donphan flew back and crashed into a tree.

"Mima…" Mime Jr. said, lowering his arms. His glowing blue eyes returned to normal and he looked up at his trainer. Kyle held up a Pokeball and called Donphan back without saying anything. He was absolutely shocked. Just days ago, when Donphan was still a Phanpy, they were getting along great. Even when he had first captured Phanpy and was having obedience issues, Phanpy had never downright _attacked_ him. Flashbacks raced through his mind of their time spent together…

_Phanpy and Kyle were lying down next to each other in Kyle's tent sleeping peacefully. Phanpy was trumpeting as he slept and Kyle had one hand resting on the Pokemon's head._

They got along so well…even though Phanpy had always been aggressive…he used his aggression to help Kyle…

_Kyle was reaching for an apple on a tree that was just out of reach. This was on the way from Neon to Aggrestic at some point. Phanpy charged from behind, slamming into the tree and knocking down about twenty apples. The two laughed and shared some of the apples, packing the rest away._

And also when they battled…Kyle remembered their first victory…

"_Phanpy, use Rollout!" Kyle ordered. The Long Nose Pokemon curled into a ball and rolled at Jolteon at high speed. Although Jolteon tried to dodge out of the way, it didn't quite make it. It was hit by the move and knocked to the ground. Phanpy, still rolling, turned and came back around, hitting Jolteon repeatedly. On the fourth turn, Jolteon finally managed to stagger out of the way, and Phanpy rolled straight into the wall, going straight through and putting a hole in it._

_"Darn it! We're just fixing the other holes!" Electra shouted. There was silence for a moment, before Phanpy came rolling in again, putting yet another hole in the wall and coming out of its spin in front of Kyle. "That's it. Jolteon, use Double Kick!"_

_"Phanpy, use Take Down!" The Pokemon moved at the same time, colliding and knocking up a cloud of dust. When the dust cleared, Phanpy was standing over Jolteon, winded but still mobile. It gave a triumphant blast from its trunk, before walking back to Kyle. "You did good, Phanpy," the boy said, scratching it behind the ears._

_"Jolteon is unable to continue!" the ref announced._

But now…now it was just like the very beginning…except worse. He thought back to the first time he tried to battle with Phanpy…

_"Use Headbutt, Phanpy!" Kyle ordered. Phanpy used Rollout instead, sending Piplup flying._

_"Wha...Rollout? I told you to use Headbutt..." Kyle said._

_"That Pokemon doesn't trust you at all," the other trainer said. "You're a weak trainer and Phanpy knows it."_

_"But I just beat your Poliwag!" Kyle objected. "With one hit too! And you STILL haven't even touched my Pokemon yet! How dare __you__ call __me__ weak." The other trainer grumbled to himself._

_"Piplup, use Bubblebeam!" the trainer ordered._

_"Dodge to the left!" Kyle said. Phanpy dodged to the right, but wasn't able to get clear out of the way and was hit with a powerful Bubblebeam._

_"PHANPY!" it cried. Then it charged at the Piplup. It hit the Piplup, so hard that it hurt itself too._

_"That...must be Take Down," Tori observed. "K-Kyle...it just learned Take Down!"_

_"COOL!" Kyle shouted, "OK PHANPY, USE TAKE DOWN AGAIN!" Instead, Phanpy used Rollout again._

_"Use Whirlpool!" the other trainer ordered. Piplup shot a huge, swirling body of water from its mouth and launched it at Phanpy. Phanpy was already spinning because it had decided to use Rollout, so round and round it went. When the attack was over Phanpy was very dizzy and very hurt. It collapsed. _

_"Phanpy is unable to continue," Candace said._

Kyle felt tears coming and a painful lump formed at the back of his throat. He turned away because he didn't want anyone to see him cry.

"Grovyle, return," Angel said, calling the Pokemon back to its ball. "I bet you'd be more of a challenge…"

"Me?" Candace asked, convinced that he was looking at her.

"Of course not…I've seen you battle in contests on TV. You're nothing special," Angel said. Candace was fuming. "I'm talking about _him_," Angel clarified, pointing to Daniel. "I challenge you."

"Piss off," Daniel said, irritated by the arrogant boy. "I've got better things to do than battle losers like you. Hey, you two, don't let this prick get to you…"

"We're not," Candace sniffled. She and Kyle were sitting side-by-side in fetal position, facing away from the others. Eevee and Mime Jr. were moping too.

Daniel's jaw hardened. "You're on," he said and came forward.

"Three-on-three?" Angel asked.

"Yeah," Daniel said tightly.

"Hope you're ready to get beaten," Angel bragged, sending out Seviper.

"Hope you're ready to shut the hell up," Daniel shot back, tossing up Skarmory's steel-plated ball. Skarmory appeared, taking flight. "Skarmory, stay out of range for now. Use Air Cutter." Skarmory flapped his wings, sending out several S-shaped energy disks borne on a strong gust that splashed across Seviper's thick hide. "Now use Air Slash." A large ball of wind energy formed in front of Skarmory's beak, and he shot it at Seviper, again with little visible result.

"Frustrating when you can't attack back, isn't it, kid," Daniel said nonchalantly.

"No, I know Seviper can take the hits," Angel said confidently.

Daniel nodded, clearly not believing Angel. "Well then. Skarmory, use Agility and Fury Attack!" Skarmory picked up speed dived, spinning and pecking at Seviper from all angles. "Now notice, kid," Daniel said in a patronizing tone. Angel gritted his teeth. "I deliberately picked a Pokemon you weren't weak against."

"And why would you do that?" Angel asked.

Daniel looked surprised at the question. "Why, to piss you off more, of course! Skarmory, use Steel Wing!" Diving again, Skarmory's wings glowed and it clobbered Seviper over the head. "Follow it up with Agility! You know what to do!" Skarmory sped off as Seviper snapped at it uselessly.

Angel looked around and laughed. "Your Pokemon don't listen to you either! He ran off."

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Wait for it, dumbass." There was silence for five full minutes. Angel looked confused, scanning the area around where they stood, but Daniel seemed serene, his hands in his pockets and a quiet smile on his face.

"So…what was the point of that?" Angel asked.

"Whenever you're ready, Skarmory," Daniel replied. Out of nowhere, Skarmory came straight down, smashing into Seviper's head with Steel Wing and plowing the Poison-type's head three feet into the ground.

"Nicely done, Skarmory," Daniel said. Hopping off the Fang Snake Pokemon, Skarmory flapped over to Daniel and resumed his place in front of him. Seviper writhed and tugged, finally freeing its head from the ground. "Wow. That thing must take a lot of abuse from you to be able to take so many hits," Daniel said. "Skarmory, use Steel Wing again!"

"Catch it with Poison Fang!" Angel shouted.

"Go ahead, Skarmory," Daniel said calmly. Angel looked confused. Bashing Seviper over the head again, Skarmory flapped a few feet away and let Seviper catch him, one wing pinned in between the Fang Snake's jaws.

"Not too bright, are we," Angel said smugly. "One more attack and Skarmory will be poisoned."

"You really are a dumbass," Daniel said. "I was just calling you that to piss you off, but I guess you haven't noticed that Steel-types don't get poisoned. Dumbass."

Angel's eyes widened. Daniel gave him a truly evil smile. "Skarmory? Air Cutter." Skarmory's wings glowed, and Seviper's eyes bugged out as its mouth was blasted open by the attack. Flailing about with its jaw clearly dislocated, the Poison-type eventually collapsed, unconscious. Angel returned his Pokemon as Daniel inspected Skarmory, looking for any damage to the Steel-type's wings.

"Your feathers are rock hard, Skarmory," Daniel said. "Nicely done. Take a rest, or go flying if you want." Skarmory took off, flapping around the area. Turning back to Angel, Daniel noticed he had sent out Buizel. Daniel retrieved a Pokeball from his belt.

"Totodile, go!" Totodile came out lying on his back, sunning himself. "Not the time, buddy. Use Ice Fang!" Totodile fired off a pair of bolts at Buizel, who dodged them.

"Buizel, use Water Pulse!" Angel ordered. A ball of water formed between Buizel's front paws, and it shot towards Totodile, knocking the Big Jaw Pokemon off his feet. "Now use SonicBoom!" Angel shouted, pressing the attack. Buizel whipped around, sending a large shockwave at Totodile.

"Dodge it!" Daniel ordered. Totodile, still off-balance, tripped and was struck hard by the attack. "Damn. Totodile, you okay?" Getting to his feet, Totodile nodded, just in time to get hit by another SonicBoom. Buizel readied another Water Pulse. "Use Ice Fang again!" Daniel shouted, and Totodile blasted off the attack as Buizel shot the Water Pulse at him. The two met, and the ball froze solid, dropping to the ground and shattering. "Again!" Daniel urged. Totodile's attack froze Buizel to the ground, its tail and paws stuck fast in a block of ice. "Now use Bite!"

Dashing forward, Totodile jumped. "Use Aqua Jet!" Angel shouted. Shattering the ice, Buizel shot directly at Totodile, surrounded by a vortex of water. The two collided with a wet thump, and water sprayed everywhere. Totodile slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Returning Totodile to his Pokeball, Daniel took a slow breath. "Not bad," he said, and Angel smirked. "For a kid," Daniel added, and Angel's smirk rapidly changed to a snarl.

"Pinsir, go!" he shouted, sending out the Bug-type as he returned Buizel.

"Gabite, come on out!" Daniel called, tossing Gabite's ball.

"Pinsir, use X-Scissor!" Angel ordered. Pinsir charged, its claws glowing white.

Daniel yawned, loudly, widely, and with plenty of teeth visible. "Gabite? Whenever you think he's close enough, use Dragonbreath." Gabite stood still for a few more seconds, before blasting Pinsir clean off its feet with the attack. "Now hit him with Rock Smash." Claws glowing white, Gabite charged.

"Use Brick Break, Pinsir!" One of Pinsir's claws glowed white, and it jumped, bringing it down on Gabite, who dodged left and let Pinsir smack into the ground, before hitting it with Rock Smash.

"Oh," Daniel said, mildly surprised. "So we're not holding back?" He smiled and pulled a bandanna from his pocket. "Okay then! Gabite, Dragon Claw! Engage!" Claws glowing green, Gabite charged, and the battle rapidly degenerated from the two Pokemon sniping at each other in a relatively orderly fashion to an all-out brawl. Using Superpower, Pinsir grabbed Gabite and attempted to hurl him into the air, but the Dragon-type just punched Pinsir in the chest with Dragon Claw, sending him flying back. Pinsir tried to grab him in his pincers, but Gabite took hold of the pincers and flung him across the arena. Pressing the attack, Gabite charged and swung again with Dragon Claw, but Pinsir dodged, sending an X-Scissor into his undefended back. Both trainers stayed silent, knowing that any instructions would make matters more confused. Gabite fell to all fours, and Pinsir reared back to kick the Pokemon in the gut.

"Gabite, use Sandstorm!" Daniel shouted, the bandanna wrapped around the lower half of his face.

"Why do I have a feeling he planned this?" Tori muttered.

Gabite focused, and sand whipped up around them, blocking the two Pokemon from view for a moment. When it cleared, Gabite was nowhere to be seen.

"What the hell?" Angel said, his head swinging back and forth searching for Gabite. "What happened?"

"Sandstorm again!" Daniel called, and another sandstorm rose up. "Focus it in on Pinsir! Use Sand Tomb!" The sandstorm collapsed in on itself, trapping Pinsir in a tight ball of sand hovering several feet off the ground. The ball grew smaller, and Pinsir writhed inside, obviously in pain.

"You can end it now, or I will," Daniel warned. Angel glared at him. "Fine," the older boy said. "Gabite, use Dragon Claw!" Appearing through the haze of sand still flying around, Gabite blasted clear through the ball confining Pinsir, knocking it to the ground.

"Pinsir, get up!" Angel ordered. "Use Guillotine!" Pincers glowing, the Bug-type struggled to its feet, charging at Gabite.

"Finish it," Daniel said quietly. Gabite set his feet, and when Pinsir was only a few feet away, lunged, grabbed the Pokemon by the pincers, and slammed it onto the ground, knocking Pinsir out cold.

"And that, as they say," Daniel stated, "is that."

"Hm, you're pretty talented," Angel admitted, returning his fallen Pinsir. "The rest of you should pay more attention to him and learn from him. I wish I could travel with someone like you…what a waste…"

"Yeah, just keep kissing his ass," Candace muttered to herself; nobody else could hear. "He's still gonna kick yours…"

"You don't deserve it," Daniel said with a cocky smile. "You're not worth my time."

"And _they are_?" Angel asked.

"Yeah, actually. Candace is way stronger now than she was when we met. And she almost beat me then. You're just lucky that Kyle didn't use Mime Jr.," Daniel said. "Come on guys. There are decent trainers out there who aren't pricks that we need to beat."

Candace and Kyle stood, linked arms, and then linked with Tori, with Candace in the middle. The three followed Daniel in the direction of Hugel, leaving Angel standing alone and defeated. The boy stared at their retreating backs, and then collapsed as Pachirisu zapped him before running off after his trainer.

"I better watch out for _him_," Angel thought to himself and struggled to his feet before turning and entering though the cave's mouth.

"You certainly showed _him_," Candace said. Daniel merely shrugged like it was nothing.

"Show off," Kyle muttered.

"Hey, don't be sour because you lost…" Candace said.

"I'm not sour because I lost, okay?" Kyle snapped. "I just…Donphan…"

"Hey, I get it," Candace said. "I was just joking…We'll figure it out."

"Really?" Kyle asked.

"I promise," Candace said with a smile.

"I hope so…" Kyle trailed off.

"But I don't think food's gonna do it for ya this time…Donphan's just way to aggressive…" Candace said.

"I know…" Kyle replied.

"You need to show him who's the leader of the pack," Daniel said. "Donphan are pack animals. You need to convince him that you're the alpha, not him."

"Hey! Are you guys trainers?" a girl asked. She was sitting on a large boulder under a tree with a Torchic at her feet.

"Yeah," Daniel said.

"Will one of you battle me? Please?" she asked. "I need to see if I'm ready to challenge my first gym."

"I will," Candace and Kyle said at the same time.

"Hey you don't really need the training," Candace said, glaring at her younger sibling.

"Yes I do!" Kyle complained. "I just lost!"

"Well I lost a gym battle _and_ a contest battle! I need it more," Candace argued.

"Well at least you're better than _your_ rival! Heck you have two rivals, and you're better than them _both_. I haven't beaten my _only_ rival even _once_. I need it more!" Kyle insisted. Daniel sighed and pulled a coin from his pocket.

"Heads or tails?" he asked.

"Heads," Kyle said. Daniel nodded, tossed the coin up into the air, and caught it in between his hands. He lifted on hand to reveal the coin and Kyle frowned.

"Tails," the older boy said. "So you'll have to wait until we find another trainer, Kyle."

"No fair," Kyle muttered and crossed his arms.

"Sorry," Candace said, trying not to smile.

"One-on-one?" the challenger asked.

"Okay," Candace replied.

"Torchic, I choose you!" the girl cheered, standing up. Her Torchic zipped forward and Candace looked down at her side

"Pachirisu?" Candace asked.

"Pachi!" Pachirisu chattered and waddled forward.

"Pachirisu, use Quick Attack!" Candace ordered.

"You too!" the opponent said. Pachirisu charged forward and the Torchic evaded him quickly by dashing to the left. "Your Pachirisu's fast, but my Torchic's a lot faster!"

"We'll just see about that," Candace said with a cocky grin.

"Torchic, use Ember!" the girl ordered. Torchic opened its mouth and spat out tiny, round balls of fire.

"Dodge it and use Swift!" Candace countered. Pachirisu jumped up, somersaulting in mid-air, flinging star-shaped disks at the Torchic.

"Get out of the way, fast!" the opponent shouted. Torchic jumped back and the stars crashed into the ground.

"Not bad," Candace said.

"Thanks," the girl replied. "Now, Torchic, use Double Team!" the girl ordered.

"Not a very good move to use against Electric-types, unless you know how to use it right," Candace said, frowning slightly.

"Candace is like the queen of Double Team," Kyle praised.

"Well actually, Candace doesn't have much to do with it. Eevee was already pretty skilled with that move to begin with," Daniel said. "Candace didn't have to do much to polish her up." Candace glared at him, and the boy mimed zipping his lips.

"We'll show you! Torchic, use Quick Attack! All of you!" the girl ordered. All of the Torchic sprinted forward towards Pachirisu.

"Discharge!" Candace commanded. Pachirisu zapped the incoming Torchic, destroying the fakes and halting the real one in its tracks.

"Torrrrr…" Torchic whined. When the move was over, sparks rippled over its body.

"No!" the girl shouted.

"Torchic's paralyzed…it won't be able to move as fast now," Tori said.

"Pachirisu, use Quick Attack and then Super Fang!" Candace ordered. Pachirisu raced forward and bit into the Torchic with glowing fangs. "Hm…I wonder…" she thought to herself.

"Torchic, use Peck!" the challenger shouted and Torchic's beak began to glow.

"Pachirisu, keep using Quick Attack and Super Fang," Candace said. Pachirisu darted out of the way of Peck and ran around the Torchic, biting it from every direction without being seen.

"Hey, that's Angel's Grovyle's move," Kyle said, remembering how his Donphan had been defeated.

"Yup! Sorry Angel, but I think I'm going to have to steal that combination. It's just too perfect for Pachirisu's speed," Candace said. Pretty soon, Torchic couldn't take it anymore and collapsed. Almost immediately, Pachirisu tripped over the fallen Pokemon and promptly electrocuted everyone in range.

"Hehe, sorry about this," Candace said, brushing out her opponent's socket-hair. The girl was sitting back on the rock now, with the Torchic sitting in her lap.

"No worries…It's just that I thought that we'd be ready to take on our first Gym battle…" the girl said.

"Hey just because you lost doesn't mean you're not ready!" Candace encouraged.

"But didn't you say you lost a Gym battle?" the girl asked. Candace took out her gym badge case and popped it open.

"And I simply tried again. See? Four badges!" she said. "If you're a rookie, then you're definitely doing great! Your Torchic is really fast! Do you have any other Pokemon?"

"I've got two others," the girl said.

"Well if they're as strong as your Torchic is, then I'm sure you'll be fine!" Candace assured.

"You think?" the girl asked.

"Yup!" Candace said and went into detail about Quake and his battling.

"She was beginning to doubt her abilities," Daniel said to Tori and Kyle. "I think she's just getting back a little of her confidence."

"You think talking to that girl is helping?" Kyle asked.

"Well it certainly isn't hurting her. She looks happy, y'know?" Daniel replied.

"Yeah…" Tori said. Candace finished up her pep talk and wished the girl good luck before they parted ways and the four friends continued on their way to Hugel City.

The trainers were on their way again and would stop to take a break every hour. As they continued on, the terrain became less rocky and more open. Palm trees bordered the sandy road that ran through this vast meadow. To their right, it stretch on to the foothills of the mountains, and to their left, it stretched a short distance to a cliff. Beyond the cliff, the trainers could just barely see the ocean.

"It sure is pretty here," Candace said. Eevee jumped out of her hoodie and ran into the grass to sniff the flowers.

"This looks like a good place to stop and rest," Candace said. The trainers joined Eevee off the side of the road and sat down amongst the grass and the flowers after sending out all of their Pokemon. The Pokemon all relaxed and took in the beauty of their surroundings while the trainers chatted away. Up the road a short ways, a boy had been resting in between two palm trees and made his way towards the four trainers.

"I thought I heard some trainers over here," the boy said, approaching the group. "Any of you up for a battle? One-on-one?"

"I am," Kyle said standing up. "I've been looking for a battle all day."

"Good," the boy said, drawing out a Pokeball. "Gloom, come on out!"

"Pikachu, you up for a battle?" Kyle asked.

"Cha!" Pikachu said with a nod while Mime Jr. threw a temper tantrum.

"Come on Mime Jr., I need the whole team to be as strong as you!" Kyle said, but Mime Jr. just walked away, pouting. Kyle sighed before turning back to his challenger.

"You can go first," the boy said.

"Okay, then. Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!" Kyle ordered. Pikachu charged up electricity for a brief moment before jolting the Gloom with a powerful Thunderbolt. The Gloom stood still throughout the duration of the attack, eyes tightly shut. When the attack was over, Gloom opened its eyes, but didn't appear to have taken much damage.

"You'll need a more powerful attack than Thunderbolt if you want to take out Gloom with an Electric-move!" the boy said. "Gloom use Magical Leaf!"

"Gloo!" the Gloom said with a quick jerk of its head. Green, glowing leaves shot forward towards Pikachu.

"Dodge them!" Kyle shouted. Pikachu jumped up and somersaulted in the air, dodging them with ease, before landing gracefully. The boy smiled and Kyle noticed the leaves suddenly stop in mid-air before quickly circling around and hitting Pikachu from behind.

"Whoa! What is that move?" Candace asked.

"Magical Leaf," the boy said. "I doesn't matter if you dodge it or not. It will _follow_ its target until it hits. Then the leaves explode upon contact. It's my favorite move, so I think I'll use it again. Gloom! Once more now!"

The Gloom fired another set of leaves and Kyle ordered Pikachu to use Quick Attack. While Pikachu ran around, trying to avoid the leaves, it gave Kyle a few moments to think.

"There's gotta be a way to avoid getting hit by this attack…what if the leaves accidently hit something other than the target…" Kyle thought to himself.

"Pika!" Pikachu yelled. Kyle realized that Pikachu was getting a little tired.

"Jump!" he ordered. Pikachu jumped straight up and the leaves followed closely behind. At the height of his jump, Pikachu dived back down to the ground, somersaulting away as the leaves crashed into the spot where he had landed.

"No way!" the boy shouted. "I haven't met anyone who has ever been able to evade that attack!"

At that moment, Aron decided to walk through the battle and stop right in the middle of it.

"Hey…uh…Aron…do you mind?" Kyle asked. The Steel-type stared blankly at the boy.

"Pikachu…" Pikachu sighed.

"ARON, GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Kyle shouted. Aron ignored him and sat down. The challenger couldn't help but laugh, which embarrassed Kyle a little bit.

"Aron, return," he said with a sigh, calling the Pokemon back to its ball. "Sorry about that…"

"No problem," the boy said. "Now let's see you dodge this! Gloom, keep using Magical Leaf!"

"Gloom fired set after set of Magical Leaf and there were just too many for Pikachu to pull off what he had done before.

"Charge straight for Gloom!" Kyle ordered. Pikachu sped up, running towards Gloom and zigzagging to avoid the incoming attacks. When he got close enough, he dived, sliding on his belly, and shot straight through the space in between the Gloom's legs. Then he stood, back-to-back with Gloom, as the leaves exploded against the Grass-type.

"That was really smart," Daniel said.

"Yeah! Keep it up Kyle and Pikachu!" Candace cheered.

"Now use Iron Tail!" Kyle ordered. Pikachu jumped up, tail glowing, and slammed his tail against Gloom's head.

"Poison Powder!" the boy ordered. As Pikachu's tail connected with Gloom's head, Gloom released a purple powder that surrounded Pikachu. When Pikachu landed back onto the ground, his nose was red and he appeared to be in pain. "Now use Giga Drain!" the boy added. Three green bolts from Glooms head shot out and engulfed Pikachu, sucking away his energy and restoring Gloom's.

"Pikachu!" Kyle shouted as his Pokemon cried out in pain.

"Now let's finish it off with Acid!" the boy ordered. Gloom opened its mouth and thick, green acid sprayed out.

"Dodge it!" Kyle cried. Pikachu managed to jump out of the way, but stumbled a little as he landed. "Good, now use Quick Attack then Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu charged forward and rammed into Gloom and immediately backed it up with Thunderbolt, but the stubborn Grass-type just wouldn't go down. Pikachu stopped and panted for a moment before sending a jolt of electricity straight up into the air.

"That seems a lot more powerful than Thunderbolt…" Tori said.

"It is. That's Thunder. Pikachu must have developed it in order to boost his power," Daniel said. As the Thunder came back down, Gloom was completely fried.

"YES!" Kyle exclaimed as the Gloom collapsed. Pikachu stood, panting and smiling, before falling over, flat on his back.

"Gloom, return," the boy said, calling back his fallen Pokemon. "Here…"

"Huh?" Kyle asked as the boy tossed him a spray bottle.

"That's an Antidote. I always give one to my opponents after a battle with my Gloom. It'll cure your Pikachu's poison right away. That was a good battle, by the way. Thank you so much, I know what I need to work on now," the boy said before bowing his head and walking away.

Kyle hurried over and used the Antidote on his Pokemon. Pikachu sat up, still pretty exhausted, and Kyle held up his Pokeball to call Pikachu back for some rest. He turned back to the others who were calling back their Pokemon and were ready to hit the road as well. Kyle returned the rest of his Pokemon and the four set off once again. The trainers didn't feel the need to keep resting so frequently, so they didn't stop again.

"The sun's going down soon…we better find a place to set up camp for the night," Daniel said, a few hours later.

"I can't believe we've only seen three trainers today," Kyle whined.

"Daniel, what time is it?" Candace asked.

"Almost four," he replied, looking at his watch.

"And we left this morning and have only seen three trainers?" Kyle complained.

"Why don't you quit complaining and just battle Candace?" Daniel asked. The two siblings were silent for a moment.

"That's a good idea," Candace said. "After all, we've never battled before, have we, little brother?"

"You're right!" Kyle exclaimed. "I can't believe I've never even thought of it!" Daniel coughed awkwardly, hiding a smile.

"Three-on-three?" she asked.

"Yep!" he said.

"Alright Eevee, you're up first!" she exclaimed. Eevee jumped out of the front of Candace's hoodie and ran forward.

"Then I'll go with my starter too," he said. Mime Jr. hopped off his shoulder and ran forward. "Mime Jr. let's go!" Kyle cheered.

"This should be interesting," Tori whispered.

"Yeah, any bets on who's going to win?" Daniel asked. "I'll give you two-to-one on Candace."

"Well, I um…" Tori stuttered, blushing. Daniel laughed.

"I'm joking," he said.

"Mime Jr., use DoubleSlap!" Kyle ordered. Mime Jr. dashed forward and repeatedly smacked Eevee's head back and forth.

"Shadow Ball," Candace commanded. Eevee opened her mouth and fired a Shadow Ball into Mime Jr.'s face. "Now use Dig!"

Eevee nodded and dug beneath the ground.

"Try to sense where she is!" Kyle ordered. Mime Jr. closed his eyes and focused deeply.

"You mean where _they_ are," Candace said with a smile. "Eevee, use Double Team!"

About twenty-five Eevee popped out from the ground and circled around the little Psychic Pokemon. Mime Jr. opened his eyes and looked around.

"Do you know which one's real?" Kyle asked.

"Mime!" Mime Jr. said.

"Shadow Ball!" Candace ordered. All of the Eevee fired a Shadow Ball at Mime Jr. and Kyle smiled.

"You're so predictable!" he said. "Confusion!"

Mime Jr. halted all of the Shadow Balls and sent them all through one of the holes in the ground. Then the real Eevee flew out of the ground, being hit by her clones' attacks.

"Am I?" Candace asked. The Eevee disappeared and Kyle gasped.

"Wait so…if that one's really a fake then where's the real Eevee?" Kyle asked.

"Quick Attack!" Candace ordered. Eevee darted out from behind a tree.

"Oh, I get it. The real one popped out of the ground behind that tree…" Kyle said. "Barrier!"

Mime Jr. lifted its arms and a Barrier appeared in front of him. Eevee didn't have enough time to stop and crashed into it, bouncing off and tumbling back.

"Now use Confusion!" Kyle added. Mime Jr. lifted Eevee up and sent her flying back into a tree. She slid down and collapsed in defeat.

"Eevee!" Candace cried and ran to her fallen Pokemon. "Are you okay?"

"Eee…" Eevee managed and Candace picked her up and placed her in the front of her hoodie.

"Great job, Mime Jr.!" Kyle praised.

"I won't lose to you," Candace said with a smile. She tossed up a Pokeball and continued, "Growlithe, it's your turn now."

"Teddiursa, come on out!" Kyle cheered. Both Teddiursa and Growlithe popped out at the same time and stared each other down. "Double Team!" he ordered.

"Teddi!" Teddiursa exclaimed with a nod and multiplied.

"Knock them all out with a Flame Wheel-Flamethrower combination!" Candace commanded. Growlithe jumped up and used Flame Wheel in place, but rotating on his side. Then a Flamethrower shot off from the sphere of fire, rotating along with it and torched all of the Teddiursa. The fakes disappeared and the real one could barely stand.

"Rest!" Kyle shouted. Teddiursa sat down, went to sleep, and completely healed.

"Take Down," Candace said. Growlithe charged forward.

"Snore!" Kyle ordered. Growlithe was stopped short when Teddiursa began to make a terrible sound. Growlithe squeezed his eyes shut and backed up slowly as the sound waves surrounded him. The Fire-type shook his head, trying to muffle the noise, but without effect.

"Use Sand Attack!" Candace shouted. Growlithe turned around, kicking dirt into Teddiursa's mouth to silence the snoring. Teddiursa opened his eyes and spit out the dirt.

"Fury Swipes," Kyle said. Slightly fuming, Teddiursa slashed at Growlithe's face. "Now use Focus Punch!"

Teddiursa's right paw began to glow and he slugged Growlithe right in the face, sending the Fire-type flying back.

"Again!" Kyle ordered. Teddiursa ran forward, paw glowing.

"Use Bite, Growlithe!" Candace shouted. Growlithe sunk his teeth into Teddiursa's arm before it could punch him again. "Now use Flamethrower."

A blast of fire knocked Teddiursa way back and completely torched him. It cried out in pain and collapsed to the ground.

"Teddiursa, return," Kyle said, calling his Pokemon back. "Alright, Aron…it's all up to you."

"Good job, Growlithe," Candace said, calling her Pokemon back as well. "Larvitar, I'm counting on you!"

The two siblings sent out the Pokemon that would decide the match and inhaled slowly.

"Aron, use Take Down!" Kyle commanded and Aron charged forward.

"Screech!" Candace ordered. Larvitar stopped Aron in its tracks with a horrible sound.

"Yeah, well two can play at that! Use Dig then Metal Sound!" Kyle ordered.

Aron dug underground and made an even louder, more ear-piercing sound. Larvitar covered his ears and cried out.

"Check mate," Candace said.

"What?" Kyle asked.

"Earth Power!" she shouted. The ground shook and split apart as yellow lava spewed up into the air. About twenty seconds went by and Candace yelled, "OKAY, THAT'S ENOUGH!"

"Aron!" Kyle yelled when the attack was over. There was no response. Candace sent out Growlithe and he sniffed around and barked when he got to the spot where he thought Aron was. Eevee and Larvitar dug underground and pulled out the unconscious Steel Pokemon.

"Hey! What gives? You're fine! You're a Steel-type! Wake up!" Kyle shouted, shaking Aron repeated.

"True he's a Steel-type, but he's also a Rock type. Both have a disadvantage against Ground-type moves…so Earth Power was ultra effective…and because Aron was underground…it was even more effective," Daniel explained.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE I LOST TO HER!" Kyle whined. Candace smiled.

"I guess I'm not losing it after all…" she thought to herself. Suddenly Pachirisu popped out of his ball, took Candace's ribbon case out of her bag and raced off with it. "PACHIRISU!"

She stood up and chased after him and the others followed close behind. Pachirisu got way ahead of them, but soon stopped and turned to his left, staring in awe of something. When Candace and the others caught up to him, Candace's eyes widened.

"Hey! Look, you guys!" she exclaimed.

The trainers were nearing a curve in the road that would take them East. Off to their left, there was a cliff and the trainers could see the ocean that separated Serrano from other regions. The water was calm and clear. The beautiful pink and purple sunset reflected off of the sparkling water and oceanic Pokemon were full of life. Wingull glided above the waters, Mantine splashed about happily, the hum of Wailmer could be heard in the distance, and Krabby gathered on the beach, blowing bubbles up into the sky.

"Pretty," Tori commented, gazing in awe over the scene. A trail was leading down to the beach and Kyle spotted it.

"Hey, we should camp out on the beach tonight," he suggested.

"Agreed!" Candace cheered. The trainers walked down to the beach and sent out their Pokemon to help set up camp.

"Daniel?" Kyle asked, once they were finished and had spread out to relax.

"Hm?" the older boy responded.

"Can I use your binoculars?" Kyle asked. Daniel pulled a pair of binoculars from his pack and handed them to the curious, young trainer.

"Knock yourself out," he said. Kyle snatched them up and raced off with Mime Jr.

"Where's he off to?" Candace asked, taking a seat next to Daniel.

"Who knows?" Daniel replied with a shrug.

"Hey you three! Don't you drift out too far!" Candace shouted. Lapras was out in the water and Eevee and Pachirisu were on her back.

"Relax," Daniel said. "The weather's nice tonight. Nothing's gonna happen to them."

"But…ever since the river incident, I don't like Eevee being around water…" she trailed off.

"Hey Totodile, keep an eye on them, would you?" he asked. Totodile cheered and dived into the water. "Lapras and Totodile won't let them drown."

"I hope you're right," she said with a sigh.

"And even if they do drown, they'll recover the bodies," Daniel quickly added. Candace quirked an eyebrow at him as he grinned back.

"Everyone's getting along so well tonight," Tori said, joining her friends. They looked around to see what their Pokemon were up to. Swablu was perched on Growlithe's head because there was nowhere close enough for her and Skarmory to perch. Skarmory was walking alongside the two, explaining something to Swablu about how to improve her speed. The two Ground-types, Larvitar and Gabite, were taking a stroll along the beach together. Flaaffy, Teddiursa, and Pikachu were all playing tag, and Beautifly was sitting on top of Tori's head. Donphan and Aron were the only Pokemon by themselves; Aron was facing one of the tents, staring blankly at it as if he didn't exactly know what it was for, and Donphan was lying down at the base of the cliff, angry and distant.

"Well, almost everyone," Daniel said, his smile fading.

"Donphan," Candace said with a frown.

"What's Kyle gonna do?" Tori asked.

"I'm sure he'll figure something out…" Daniel said. "He just needs to prove to Donphan that he can be the leader of the pack. That's all that's holding those two back."

The trainers had a bonfire and danced around under the moonlight with their Pokemon that night. After a long night of excitement and fooling around, they finally put out the fire and got to bed. The next morning, they set off as soon as they woke up and had breakfast. It took them the entire day, but they made it to Hugel City by nightfall. Daniel was amazed with what great timing they made. Candace suggested that they made it to places so quickly because they spent so much time chasing their mischievous Pokemon or being chased by mischievous Pokemon. Kyle was just glad that they made it in less time than it took Angel to walk the same route, even with the events that took place that day…

For starters, Pachirisu fell off the cliff and was washed out to sea, so Lapras had to go save him. Then Larvitar came across someone's picnic and ate all their food, so the trainers had to give the group of people their lunch. Later on, Donphan went on a rampage and smashed into several palm trees, creating quite the obstacle in the middle of the road for the trainers to get over. And finally, the most inconvenient experience of the day: a wild Chatot decided to mess with the trainers and stole their map then flew off…in the _opposite_ direction of Hugel City. They got their map back but had to go back about two miles to catch up to the thing.

So they arrived in Hugel City, exhausted, and ready to crash at a hotel. They had to stop at a Pokemon Center first, however, so they had about an hour to kill while their Pokemon were resting, and took a stroll down the street.

"Pokemon eating contest…" Candace read. The others stopped.

"Bet Larvitar could win that," Kyle said.

"Yeah…" Candace said, reading over the rules.

"Even if he doesn't, at least we wouldn't have to feed him that day," Daniel said. "Although he might eat one of the other contestants…"

"Prize: One Mystery Egg. Well I don't want it," Candace said.

"Why not?" Daniel asked, laughing.

"I've decided to screen all Pokemon I come in contact with before having anything to do with them. I don't want to end up with little monsters like Pachirisu and Larvitar. Hatching an egg is a complete gamble, and knowing my luck, I'll end up with some high-maintenance little terrorist. No thank you. Anyone of you is welcome to enter with Larvitar though!" Candace explained.

"Me!" Kyle volunteered.

"You have five Pokemon. Tori and Daniel have three," Candace said.

"No fair!" Kyle complained.

"Exactly, which is why I'm lending him to one of them," she said.

"Daniel can," Tori said. "I don't really care…I'm going to be training on my own tomorrow and won't be going anyway…"

"Alright then, it's settled!" Candace said.

"You guys!" someone whined. Chucky was standing there with a Munchlax at his side. "Let me win! I might need it for my Pokedex!"

"Dude, you have like two hundred Pokemon!" Kyle exclaimed.

"Thirty-seven!" he corrected. "And fine! I can win anyway! This Munchlax can eat more than any Pokemon in the world, even more than that Larvitar."

"We'll just see about that!" Candace said.

"I love how competitive she is, even when she's not even competing," Kyle whispered to the others.

"It's tomorrow night," Tori said, examining the poster.

"Oh good, gives us time to challenge the Gym here," Daniel said.

"Hey can I watch?" Chucky asked.

"Sure," Candace said.

"Hey let's go check into a hotel and head back to the Pokemon Center," Daniel said.

"Good idea," Kyle said.

"Oh! You should go to the Portside Hotel!" Chucky exclaimed. If you get a hotel room facing north, you get a balcony that overlooks the port! It's kind of neat…"

"Okay, we'll do that, thanks Chucky," Kyle said.

"No problem, just follow me!" Chucky said and led them to the hotel. They checked in, dropped off their stuff and headed back to the Pokemon Center. Chucky and Kyle stayed outside to catch up and for Chucky to show Kyle his team.

"Can I pick up my brother's Pokemon too? He's waiting outside," Candace said.

"Certainly," Nurse Joy replied with a smile, handing over three more Pokeballs, and Mime Jr. hopped onto Candace's shoulder.

"Four? But Kyle has five Pokemon…" Candace said.

"I was only given four…" Nurse Joy said, frowning.

"ARON!" Kyle shouted from outside. Candace, Tori, Daniel and Nurse Joy rushed out to see what was going on. "GET DOWN FROM THERE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING UP THERE? HOW DID YOU EVEN _GET _UP THERE?"

"Kyle…?" Candace asked. He pointed to the roof of the Pokemon Center and Aron was standing near the edge of it, staring at them.

"Well…" Candace said with a shrug. "Should have screened your Pokemon!"

~_~_~  
Author Notes:

Read and review please.


	24. CH 24 Intros, Glamor, and Violence

**Chapter 24: Intros, Glamor, and Violence**

Kyle rubbed his eyes and yawned sleepily.

"Oh good, you're awake," Daniel said.

"'Oh good?' Why do you say that?" Kyle asked.

"Well, I think Aron needs assistance," Daniel said.

"What? What's wrong with Aron? Where is he?" Kyle asked, a little panic-stricken.

"Go look in the bathroom," Candace said. Kyle sprang from his bed and rushed into the bathroom to find that Aron had fallen head-first into the toilet.

"Aron," Kyle said, smacking his forehead, and then grabbed onto its hind legs and pried the Pokemon from the toilet.

"So what's first on the agenda today?" Candace asked.

"Gym battles," Daniel said.

"I thought we were gonna go get Chucky first," Kyle said.

"Well that too," Daniel said. Kyle looked around the room.

"Tori already left," Candace said, getting her bag together.

"Huh? Hey, how do you know I was looking for her, huh?" Kyle asked.

"Lucky guess," Candace said with a smile and left the room. "I'm first, by the way," she said as she walked out the door.

"Second!" Kyle called, slipping on pants and a t-shirt. He and Daniel left the room together and saw Candace out in the hall, a few rooms down.

"Wakey wakey, kiddo. We're heading off to the gym," she said, tapping on a door. It opened and Chucky emerged. He seemed pretty excited about something.

"Everything okay?" Daniel asked.

"I'm just so happy!" Chucky said. "I've never seen a gym battle before!"

"Really?" Kyle asked.

"Yup!" he said.

"Well then you're gonna have a great time! Come on guys!" Kyle exclaimed, running down the hall. He was too excited to realize someone coming out of their room and ran right into him.

"Ow!" the boy said. The first thing that Kyle noticed about him was his hair; it was surprisingly long, jet-black hair with a slight curl. He was young, fairly tall, but obviously still growing by the way that his clothes didn't quite fit. He was wearing a grey long-sleeved shirt and khaki cargo shorts with black tennis shoes.

"Urk…sorry," Kyle said, standing up. He offered his hand to help the boy up.

"Hey, no worries!" he said grinning. Kyle smiled. This boy appeared to be a friendly, jolly person but there was just something about him that suggested great power, and maybe that had something to do with why Candace had a rather dramatic response:

"OH MY GOSH!" she shouted, running up to them, followed by Daniel and Chucky. "I am so sorry! KYLE, APOLOGIZE NOW!"

"No, really, I'm fine," the boy said, laughing. "It's okay, it was an accident. In fact, it was probably my fault."

"Hey Randall, long time, no see!" Daniel greeted.

"Oh, it's you! Let's see…Daniel, was it?" Randall asked.

"Do you know like _everyone_ in this region?" Candace asked.

"Pretty much," Daniel said with a grin.

"Smart ass," she muttered.

"So what are you doing here in Hugel?" Daniel asked. "You're awfully far from your Gym in Midnight City."

"Gym?" Kyle echoed.

"Yes, Gym. Guys, this is Midnight's Gym Leader. Randall, these are my friends: Candace, Kyle, and Chucky. There's another girl, but she's out training right now, and Chucky's actually just tagging along for today. We're headed to the Hugel Gym," Daniel explained.

"Cool. I'm here for the contest," Randall said.

"The eating contest?" Kyle asked.

"What? No," Randall replied. "The one with coordinators and ribbons and stuff."

"A contest?" Candace asked, with a lit up face. "When is it?"

"What, do you know someone competing in it?" Daniel asked.

"Well, yeah…me," he replied.

"_You_?" the trainers all asked in unison.

"You're officially the most awesome Gym Leader _ever_," Candace said. The Gym Leader chuckled.

"But why?" Kyle asked.

"I'm on vacation here actually, and I just wanted to try it out. Looks kinda fun if you ask me. I mean I love being a Gym Leader, but I just wanted to compete for the hell of it, I guess," he explained.

An expression fell upon Kyle's face as if a light bulb had just clicked on inside his head.

"I BET ANGEL DOESN'T HAVE THE MIDNIGHT BADGE!" he exclaimed.

"It's called the Shadow Badge," Randall said with a smile. "And I don't know anyone named Angel, so I guess not…"

"Wouldn't it be awesome to get two badges while we're here?" Kyle fantasized.

"Impossible," Daniel said.

"Huh?" Candace asked.

"Randall is the most powerful Gym Leader in Serrano. Most trainers challenge his gym last. He could mop the floor with any of us and that's exactly why I didn't challenge him back then," Daniel explained.

"Well, I'm very flattered," Randall said, modestly.

"Well, we'll be seeing you," Daniel said. "We've got a busy day ahead of us and we better get going."

"Yeah, me too. It was nice meeting you guys. Talk to you later!" Randall said.

Waving good-bye to their new friend, the trainers continued on their way to the Hugel City Gym. It seemed to be on the complete opposite side of town as their hotel, but c'est la vie.

"So, what's Randall like?" Kyle asked eagerly.

"Well, you just met him. That's pretty much what the guy's like," Daniel said with a sigh. "Scares me, though."

"He scares you?" Kyle asked incredulously. Daniel nodded. "Why?"

"The power he has," Daniel said. "And he's younger than I am."

"Really?" Candace asked. "He didn't look it."

"He's over two years younger than I am," Daniel said. "And he has that sort of power. Frankly, it scares the crap out of me."

Once they finally set foot inside the gym, they looked around, in awe of it; the roof was made out of glass and the sunlight was shining through brightly, perches stuck out from the walls for the Pokemon to roost on, the bleachers were made from light brown wood, and it appeared to be just one big room with a dirt arena right in the center of it.

"Is that a nest?" Chucky asked, pointing to a giant pile of twigs towards the back of the room.

"Why do I get the feeling that this guy is a complete basket-case?" Candace said with a sigh.

"Everyone we meet is a complete basket-case, so it shouldn't be a surprise to you," Kyle said.

"I resent that," a voice said. A man stood from the nest, looking the trainers over. He was tall and thin, to the point of being gangly. He had short, frizzy brown hair, brown eyes, and a hooked nose. He wore a loose long-sleeved shirt with parachute suit arms, tight jeans and high-tops. He looked to be about thirty, at the oldest.

"You must be Hawk," Daniel said.

"Why yes, yes I am. You must be challengers," he replied.

"Why yes, yes we are," Daniel said with a cocky grin. Hawk laughed.

"Hey, I like you, kid," he said, walking forward. "So who's first?"

"That'd be me," Candace said, feeling a bit awkward for some reason.

"Alright, then please direct yourself to the dirt arena, mademoiselle. And the rest of you, please, take a seat if you would," he said pointing to the bleachers. Chucky, Kyle, and Daniel sat down in the bleachers and Candace came forward.

"Uh…is there a referee?" Candace asked, looking around.

"Such useless creatures they are…I'm my own ref," Hawk said.

"Not a problem," Candace said.

"Oh and I feel I must give you fair warning…I get a little…carried away with my battles, so I've been told," he said.

"Fantastic," Candace thought to herself. "Don't worry about it," she said.

"Alright then here we go!" he said, taking out a Pokeball. "Weighing in at forty-four pounds and six ounces, everyone, give it up for the one, the only: SWELLOW THE MIGHTY!" Hawk said, hurling a Pokeball forward. His Swellow popped out, flexing his wings.

"Yup, he's a basket-case," Candace thought to herself.

"Why does it encourage him?" Kyle wondered to himself.

"AND THE CROWD GOES WILD!" Hawk cheered. "WHOOOO! YEAHHH! GO SWELLOW!"

"This…guy's…a whack-job…" Daniel and Kyle said in unison. Candace took out her Pokedex, but Hawk held up a hand.

"Swellow, the Swallow Pokemon: A Swellow dives upon prey from far above. It never misses its targets. It takes to the skies in search of lands with a warm climate," he informed. Candace smiled and put the Dex away.

"Alright, let's get through this quickly," Candace said, expanding a Pokeball.

"Don't tell me…" Kyle trailed off.

"Kyle, Chucky? You might wanna cover your eyes for this…it won't be pretty," Daniel said.

"Cover our eyes? I'm more concerned about _taking _cover," Kyle said, climbing under the bleachers. "I don't want blood on me…"

"Pachirisu, let's do this!" Candace said, throwing up the ball.

"Ah an Electric-type. Let's see…Pachirisu, the EleSquirrel Pokemon: Its electricity is stored in the pouches on its cheeks and shoots from its tail. In an effort to share stored electricity, a pair of Pachirisu will rub their cheeks together." he recited.

"So…did you like memorize a Pokedex?" Candace asked.

"…Yes," he replied.

"Interesting…" Candace said.

"Yes, now let's begin! Swellow, fly up and use Aerial Ace!" Hawk ordered. Swellow glided up into the air and came back down quickly, preparing itself to hit Pachirisu with Aerial Ace.

"Chi!" Pachirisu exclaimed, zipping out of the way. Swellow landed face-first into the ground and Pachirisu danced around excitedly.

"Hm…let's try something else, fly up again!" Hawk commanded. Swellow stood and shook itself before taking flight again.

"Pach-uh…" Pachirisu said, thinking for a moment. He smiled and darted up a wall, pushing off of it to land on Swellow's back.

"OH NO!" Hawk said, expecting him to fry his beloved Swellow.

"CHI-PAH! CHIPAH CHIPAH!" Pachirisu exclaimed. He took hold of the feathers on Swellow's neck, as if they were reins, and drove the Flying-type into the ground. He bounced off once it hit the floor and danced about with more excitement than before.

"She's just letting him play with it," Chucky observed. "Wow, they're good."

Candace, although she hadn't called a single move yet, looked pretty entertained at this point. She had no idea that Pachirisu was even capable of thinking for itself, and it was so cute to watch him. Well, for everyone except Hawk, that is.

"I can't believe this! Swellow, get up now! AND USE AERIAL ACE!" he ordered. Swellow stood and took off, heading straight for Pachirisu and picking up incredible speed.

"Nice speed, but it's nothing compared to Pachi's," Candace said quietly.

"Well can 'Pachi' do this?" he whispered. "SWELLOW, PUT A SPIN ON IT!"

Swellow began rotating counter-clockwise and Hawk laughed, daring Pachirisu to try to jump on it now. Pachirisu readied himself to move out of the way but Candace raised a hand.

"Actually, yes. He can. Pachirisu, use Quick Attack!" Candace ordered. Pachirisu zipped forward and jumped up, rotating like Swellow, but clockwise. The two didn't hit head-on; they simply touched as they passed by each other, but it was enough to mess Swellow up, knocking it off balance and causing it to just fall to the ground.

"Oh come on! How did that even happen? I mean that doesn't even make sense," Hawk said, glaring at the dancing Pachirisu. "Swellow, use Ominous Wind!"

Swellow flew up and flapped its wings, whipping up a purple gust of wind. Pachirisu stopped dancing, cocked its head, and ducked. The gust went right over his head and he stood up, grinning mischievously as sparks discharged from its cheeks. Hawk and Swellow looked horrified.

"PACHI…SUUUUUU!" Pachirisu said as it used Discharge, frying the defenseless Swellow. The Flying-type fell to the floor, unconscious and Pachirisu commenced a victory dance.

"Swellow, you battled well my friend, but we have ourselves a formidable opponent. We're going to need some more speed, FEAROW!" Hawk shouted, sending out his next Pokemon. Fearow popped out, immediately taking flight and Pachirisu cocked his head and looked at his trainer. She nodded.

"Pachi!" he called to the Fearow.

"Rah?" Fearow said, looking down at the insolent little EleSquirrel Pokemon. Pachirisu promptly zapped him with tremendous power and the Fearow fell motionless to the floor. Hawk tightened his fists and Kyle sighed.

"No offense, but this guy doesn't really seem like a gym leader…his Pokemon…kinda suck," Kyle whispered to Daniel.

"I heard that, runt!" Hawk snapped. Kyle gasped and apologized and Hawk looked at Candace. "I don't know what's up with me today, but your luck runs out here. You could have a whole team of zippy-zappy, annoying little Electric-types and I could still take them all out with this. You asked for it…STARAPTOR, MY STRONGEST POKEMON, WIPE THEM OUT!"

"STARRRR!" Staraptor shrieked when it popped out of its ball. It flapped its wings to warm up, creating a large gust of wind that sent Pachirisu flying face-first into a wall.

"Pachirisu, use Discharge," Candace said, with a little worry in her tone. Pachirisu charged for a brief second and released the Discharge.

"Protect," Hawk said. A blue sphere formed around Staraptor that absorbed the electricity; Staraptor took no damage. "Now it's our turn to make a fool of you," Hawk continued. "Staraptor, follow it up with Steel Wing!"

Staraptor's wings glowed bright white as it dived down and smashed one of them into Pachirisu. The Electric-type fell down and gritted its teeth. The brief couple of seconds he was down was apparently enough time for Hawk to call his next move. Staraptor quickly whipped back around and hit Pachirisu again, but this time with a move called U-turn.

"Chii," Pachirisu said, standing slowly. Candace gritted her teeth.

"This Staraptor looks really strong…If I can't beat it with Pachirisu, then how could I beat it with the others? Larvitar's part rock, so that's an advantage, but Steel Wing would destroy him…And the others don't have any particular advantage or disadvantage, but I'm not gonna risk it. I need to beat him with Pachirisu…" Candace reasoned in her mind. "Pachirisu, get up above it and use Swift!"

Pachirisu nodded and ran up a wall, bouncing off of it when he got higher than Staraptor. Staraptor watched without much interest in what Pachirisu was up to, and turned to face him. Pachirisu began somersaulting in mid-air, releasing bright, star-shaped discs. A few of them hit Staraptor before it managed to get out of the way, and the somewhat wounded Staraptor landed on one of the gym's perches as Pachirisu landed on the ground.

"Roost," Hawk said with a cocky grin. Staraptor began to glow dimly and it recovered all of its lost health as it sat on the perch.

"Now what?" Candace thought. "I can't hit it without it dodging or protecting itself and even if I manage to inflict some damage, it can just recover…"

"You look like you're contemplating your next move, so I'll make mine!" Hawk exclaimed. "Staraptor, use Brave Bird!"

Staraptor took flight, coming down with great speed and force. As it pulled in its wings, its entire body burst into flames. Candace and the spectators' eyes widened with horror as the Staraptor came down. Daniel wondered if Skarmory could learn that move and Candace broke the silence.

"WHAT _IS_ THIS MOVE?" she cried. Staraptor pushed its wings back out and its whole body became shrouded in a blue aura right as it neared Pachirisu. "YOU CAN'T LET THAT MOVE HIT YOU, PACHIRISU!"

"Pachiii…" Pachirisu trailed off, staring up at the incoming Flying-type, too scared to move.

"MOVE!" Candace shouted. Pachirisu closed its eyes and started to run, but it was too late for that. Staraptor hit it, but it wasn't a very critical hit. Pachirisu managed to avoid some major damage by running about two feet to the right. He was still hit nonetheless, and struggled to his feet. As Staraptor soared back up, blue electrical sparks ran up its wings.

"Is that from Pachirisu?" Kyle asked.

"No," Hawk said. "Such a move comes with a price. That's the recoil damage that Staraptor takes after using this move. He's okay though. He can handle using Brave Bird several times in one battle. Considering what a difficult and dangerous move it is for the user, that's pretty damn spectacular if you ask me. Of course all my Pokemon can use it, but most of them can only handle it once or twice a day. But just look at him, I'd say he's ready to go again."

"I guess we're going to have to take him out with one hit. I wonder how much damage Staraptor would take if it was hit with double the force of Brave Bird…Pachirisu, please have enough stamina to take just one more attack, okay," Candace thought to herself. Pachirisu looked up at her and somehow understood. The two stood still, waiting, as Staraptor came down in flames once again, and the moment his body turned blue, Candace knew it was too late for it to cancel its attack now and she called out her move: Bide.

"Like he's even going to survive this! It's a direct hit!" Hawk shouted as Pachirisu began to glow. Brave Bird hit and Pachirisu took an incredible amount of damage as he flew back and tumbled across the floor. Candace held her breath for a moment, praying he'd survive it and have enough strength to release the stored energy.

"See? What did I tell you?" Hawk said with a laugh as Pachirisu took a knee. Candace smiled.

"He's not falling, he's bracing himself," she said and the energy was released, blinding everyone with a bright light. When it was over, both Pokemon fell motionless to the floor.

"Both Pokemon are unable to continue, but because Hawk is out of useable Pokemon…Candace wins," Daniel said to Chucky.

"Staraptor return," Hawk said and looked over at Candace who was now cradling the motionless Pachirisu in her arms. "Hey…"

"Hm?" she asked, looking up.

"He took some severe damage, I can tell. Don't stay to watch your brother, okay? You must take him to the hospital right away!" Hawk advised before tossing her the Talon Badge, a crescent-shaped badge with a sharp tip curled inward. She caught the shiny, silver badge in her right hand and nodded, then left.

"So, who's next?" Hawk asked, looking up into the audience. Kyle raised his hand and then made his way down.

"C-can I have five minutes first though, please?" he asked.

"Yah…sure…" Hawk said and Kyle went outside, Donphan's ball in hand. As soon as he shut the door behind him, he had Donphan out of his ball and standing in front of him.

"Listen Donphan, you're my friend! You were the first Pokemon I ever caught and we've had so many fun times ever since. I know you're aggressive and I know you like making your own decisions, but I need you to trust me! Don't you still consider me as your friend?" Kyle asked.

"Don," Donphan grunted, his tone carrying slight arrogance.

"Nothing's changed Donphan! I don't understand why you're acting so differently ever since you evolved! What, have you just been festering hatred towards me ever since I caught you? Is that it? And you've just been waiting until you're strong enough to destroy me? Is that it? Do you mean to tell me that you haven't made one good memory this entire time that we've been together and that there wasn't _one time_ where you've been proud to have me as your trainer? Think, Donphan! Because if that's the case…then you can go. I'm not going to keep you against your will…If you don't like me, then I'll just release you," Kyle said. Donphan was silent and walked slowly towards the Pokeball that Kyle had set on the ground. It was his. He raised a foot as if he wanted to smash it into a million pieces, but set it down lightly, calling himself back into it. Kyle picked it up and smiled before returning to the battle field.

"Are you ready?" Hawk asked.

"You bet!" Kyle exclaimed. "Pikachu, it's all you!"

"Another Electric-type?" Hawk observed as Pikachu popped out of his ball. "I won't be falling to this again. Noctowl, let's take him out real quick!"

A Noctowl swooped down from up above and landed on Hawk's shoulder. Hawk mentioned that it hated being in Pokeballs, just like the Mime Jr. at Kyle's side. Kyle smiled and nodded to say that he was ready to begin.

"Noctowl, take flight!" Hawk ordered. Noctowl hooted and flapped its wings, taking position directly above its trainer. "Use Sky Attack!"

"Thunderbolt!" Kyle ordered as Noctowl's eyebrows lit up and a white aura surrounded it. It made a quick barrel-roll to the right, avoiding the electrical attack and flew straight into Pikachu, swerving back up. Pikachu was slightly damaged, but seemed fine.

"I see that Pikachu isn't as fast as your sister's Pokemon. That's good news for me," Hawk noted. "Air Slash!"

Noctowl raised its wings above its head and a blue sphere formed in between them. He released it and Kyle ordered Pikachu to use Iron Tail, so the Electric-type jumped up, somersaulted, and sliced the sphere in half with his tail. As the energy shot off and dispersed, he gave Noctowl a defiant grin before landing on all fours.

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack up the wall! Then follow it up with Sweet Kiss!" Kyle ordered. Pikachu darted up with wall and Hawk smiled.

"Too slow! Use Confusion!" he ordered. Noctowl's eyes turned blue and Pikachu stopped in its tracks and was thrown across the arena. "I find it interesting that you feel it necessary to get up close to use Sweet Kiss…"

"What do you mean?" Kyle asked.

"You do realize that Pikachu could just blow a kiss, correct?" Hawk asked. Kyle was silent for a moment.

"OF COURSE I KNEW!" he shouted as if it had been an insult.

"Liar," Hawk muttered.

"Pikachu, let's blow that Sweet Kiss!" Kyle ordered. Pikachu rubbed his head and gave his trainer an awkward look. Hawk burst out into laughter.

"I see, that's why…he thinks he's too masculine for that," the gym leader observed.

"Oh come on, Pikachu!" Kyle pleaded. Pikachu sighed and raised his paw to his lips.

"Pii-cha," he said, blowing a kiss. A single pink heart made its way towards Noctowl and Hawk smiled again.

"Hey, I wasn't telling you to use it!" he exclaimed. "Extrasensory!"

Noctowl's eyes began to glow and emitted a strange beam, composed of rainbow colored rings. This beam swallowed the Sweet Kiss and kept going until it completely surrounded him. Pikachu gasped and looked around as it lifted him off the ground.

"Pikachu's being abducted by aliens," Chucky said, trying to crack a joke. Everyone and every Pokemon in the Gym stared at him for a moment, before going back to what they were doing. Noctowl jerked its head and Pikachu was thrown across the ring once again. As he sat up, Noctowl flew up to him, eyes glowing red. Red rings were released from them, expanding as they got closer to Pikachu, and caused Pikachu to fall asleep. Kyle gasped.

"Now, let's finish this, use Dream Eater!" Hawk ordered. Noctowl's eyes turned red once again, as did Pikachu's entire body, and it leached energy from the sleeping Pokemon. Kyle noticed that Pikachu appeared to be in pain but could not awaken, so he called him back.

"Mime Jr., let's do it!" he cheered.

"Air Slash!" Hawk ordered. Noctowl raised its wings above its head once again and a blue sphere formed in between them, but when he released it, Mime Jr. took control of it with Confusion.

"Good, now send it back at it!" Kyle cheered. Mime Jr. thrust his arms forward and the sphere went right back to Noctowl, who moved out of the way. Mime Jr. still had control of it and brought it back to hit the Flying-type from behind. Noctowl screeched as it fell to the ground in front of Mime Jr.

"I see…So that's what we're dealing with. Well I can't substitute, so I guess we're just going to figure out something else to deal with it, now won't we Noctowl?" Hawk said. Noctowl hooted and stood without taking flight.

"You won't have time," Kyle said with a smile. "Mime Jr., use Barrier and Double Slap!"

Mime Jr. rushed forward, using Barrier on his hands and slapped Noctowl repeatedly. Hawk smiled and complimented Kyle on the combination. Kyle smiled and thanked him.

"Hey Mime Jr., you saw that cool move right?" Kyle asked. Mime Jr. nodded. "Can ya Mimic it?"

Mime Jr.'s eyes began to glow like Noctowl's had when it used Extrasensory and he released the same rainbow-colored beam from his mouth. It lifted Noctowl into the air and then slammed it against a wall.

"I find it interesting that Mime Jr. somehow remembered that move quite a while after he saw it. Usually Mimic is short term…" Hawk commented.

"Well my Mime Jr. is _really_ good at imitating what he sees and since that's a Psychic move, he can probably retain it better," Kyle mentioned.

"I suppose you're right. I'd suggest using it frequently. Maybe he won't forget how to use it and you'll have the only Mime Jr. in the world who can use that move," Hawk suggested. Kyle grinned; he liked that idea.

"Noctowl, return," Hawk said, calling back his unconscious Pokemon. "Dodrio, fire it up with Double Team right away!"

The three-headed Flying Pokemon he sent out multiplied, creating a line of Dodrio and Mime Jr. shifted his glance from Dodrio to Dodrio, trying to detect the real one. Hawk sighed and told Kyle that Mime Jr.'s psychic abilities aren't fully developed; otherwise he'd be able to figure out the real one.

"Mime Jr., use Confusion!" Kyle ordered. Mime Jr. began to thrust each Dodrio back, one-by-one, with Confusion.

"Quick Attack!" Hawk ordered. A Dodrio zipped forward and Kyle smiled.

"It's that one!" he shouted. Mime Jr. used Confusion to hurl it backwards, but it disappeared once it hit the ground.

"I think not! Triple Drill Peck!" Hawk ordered, defiantly. The real Dodrio had greatly shortened the distance between Mime Jr. and itself while the Psychic-type was preoccupied with the distraction. Each of the beaks began to spin rapidly and the three heads stretched out to dig their beaks into Mime Jr. before he could do a thing. He flew back and hit the ground and as he stood, Dodrio was already preparing its next attack. Each head had opened its beak and a red triangle had formed between them. Hawk smiled as the Tri-Attack was released and knocked Mime Jr. out cold.

"Mime Jr.!" Kyle cried, running to his falling Pokemon.

"Mime…" he managed as his trainer picked him up.

"So who's next?" Hawk asked. Kyle drew a Pokeball and tossed it forward.

"Donphan!" he exclaimed.

"Huh…Guess they had a heart-to-heart out there," Daniel assumed.

"Donphan, use Rollout!" Kyle ordered. Donphan hesitated for a moment and Kyle held his breath, but the Ground Pokemon obeyed, plowing over the Triple Bird Pokemon. Before it could get back up, Donphan rolled over it again and again. Before Kyle had a chance to call out his next move, Donphan began to charge at the Dodrio.

"Quite a wild Pokemon you've got there. You sure that using it is a good idea?" Hawk teased.

"It's a great idea. That's fine, Donphan, just be sure to go into Defense Curl to increase the impact but cut the recoil!" Kyle shouted. Donphan nodded and curled into a ball just as he collided with Dodrio, who promptly went flying into a wall.

"Perfect," Kyle said with a smile.

"Dodrio return," Hawk said. "Hmm, well I certainly didn't expect this. Well we're down to one each and these kinds of things tend to turn themselves around, so prepare yourself for this, kid. You are about to witness the most terrifying power of all: MY PIDGEOT!"

"…I thought Staraptor was your strongest…" Kyle said, looking the Pidgeot over after he sent it out.

"…Oh…" Hawk said. "Yeah, that's true…"

"Eeeeooo," Pidgeot hissed, glaring angrily at its trainer.

"Shit," Hawk muttered, slapping himself across the forehead. "I'm sorry, Pidgeot!"

"Tah," Pidgeot muttered, rolling its eyes.

"Donphan, use Dig!" Kyle ordered. Donphan disappeared into the Earth and Hawk raised an eyebrow.

"…Why?" Hawk asked.

"So we can do this! ROLLOUT!" Kyle shouted. Donphan shot out of the ground, somersaulting into Pidgeot who was hovering close by. Pidgeot hit the wall behind it and slid down but quickly got up again.

"Pidgeot, use Giga Impact!" Hawk ordered.

"Oh shit," Daniel said as Pidgeot's body turned orange. It then burst into a purple orb, surrounded by swirling orange streaks as it came down at Donphan.

"Rollout again!" Kyle ordered. Donphan shot up, somersaulting, and he collided with the move. Both forces pushed against each other, inching back and forth. Both trainers encouraged their Pokemon but Donphan proved to be more powerful and broke through the move, slamming into Pidgeot and forcing it back. Pidgeot cried out and fell to the floor.

"_That's_ powerful…" Daniel said.

"Wow, that's quite the Donphan you have there. No one's ever done that before…not that I've seen, at least," Hawk said. Kyle smiled and told Donphan to use Take Down while it was still down, but Donphan used Rollout instead. Both Kyle and Daniel face palmed, but Pidgeot flew out of the way and Donphan crashed into the wall.

"Well I supposed that would have happened anyway," Kyle muttered. "Use Rollout one more time! And then Stomp!"

Donphan nodded and shot up into the air, but way higher than Pidgeot was hovering. It watched as Donphan came out of the attack and fell straight down, front legs extended. Pidgeot tried to move away but winced from the pain of the previous attack, and was unable to dodge. Donphan slammed his front legs into Pidgeot's back and the flying type crashed down into the ground, unable to get back up.

"Damn…" Hawk said, calling his Pidgeot back. "You're just as impressive as your sister! Bravo! Here's the Talon Badge, kid!"

"Thanks," Kyle said, walking up and accepting the claw-shaped badge.

"And I'll see you tomorrow?" Hawk asked, looking up at Daniel and Chucky.

"Me, yes, but the kid, no," Daniel replied with a grin.

"I look forward to it. I hope you're just as fun as these other two were!" Hawk exclaimed. Daniel, Kyle, and Chucky said good-bye and headed out of the gym and to the Pokemon Center to check on Candace. She was standing outside, looking pretty stressed out.

"Something wrong?" Daniel asked. She pointed. Pachirisu was up and about, all full of energy, and had apparently found a balloon vendor because he was up in the air thanks to several colorful helium balloons. "How?" Daniel asked.

"I don't know. I just don't know," Candace replied. Mime Jr. pulled Pachirisu back down with Confusion and they walked back into the Pokemon Center so Kyle could drop off Pikachu and Donphan. Mime Jr. seemed fine now, however. The trainers then explored the port city a bit until it was time for the eating contest. Chucky led them to the Contest Stadium, excitedly and they took a seat in the audience.

"Finally, an open-roof arena," Candace said, looking around. "This contest is gonna be great! It's scheduled for tomorrow night, so there'll be stars out and everything. I'm so excited."

"Round one of Hugel City's annual Pokemon Eating Contest is about to begin!" Emma announced.

"Wow, she's the emcee for this too?" Candace thought to herself.

"I'll be your host for today," she continued. "Trainers, please get your Pokemon into position!"

"Go get 'em, tiger," Candace said, nudging Larvitar. He and Daniel walked down from the stands to a set of ten picnic blankets, lying neatly on the ground. Kyle and Mime Jr. stood.

"You're going too?" Candace asked.

"I want that egg!" Kyle exclaimed. "Come on, Mime Jr.!"

Chucky and Munchlax joined the two as they made their way down to where Daniel and Larvitar were. Larvitar's stomach grumbled and he tugged at Daniel's shirt.

"What?" Daniel asked. "Knock it off; you'll get food in a minute!"

"Munch! Munch!" the Munchlax chuckled.

"Eating is our specialty," Chucky added.

"_Our_? This contest is for Pokemon…" Kyle said.

"Yeah, we're just here to take our Pokemon to the emergency room when they eat themselves into a state of unconsciousness!" Daniel said.

"Round one!" Emma began as volunteers carried in barrel after barrel and stacked them on top of the picnic blankets. "BERRIES!"

"Mima! Mima!" Mime Jr. cheered.

"Go!" Emma cheered. Larvitar picked up a barrel and dumped all of the berries into his mouth. Considering it was a variety of berries, it probably had a pretty interesting flavor, but Larvitar didn't seem to care. He tossed the empty barrel aside and reached for the next.

"Munch munch! Munch munch! Munch munch!" Munchlax chanted as he dived into barrels and devoured all of their contents.

Mime Jr. got lucky; his first barrel contained Cheri Berries and nothing more. He squealed as if to say "YES!" and shoved one after another into his mouth.

"How degrading..." a familiar voice sneered. Candace glanced to her right. Duke and Katya were standing there, looking at the arena. "Is this what they do with our contest halls when we're not around?"

"Ew..." Katya said. Candace rolled her eyes and looked back at the contest. No one was around to hold her back so why get fired up? Unfortunately, Katya didn't feel the same way because she noticed Candace and said, with a fake smile, "Candace! Long time, no see!"

She and Duke took a seat, Katya on the right of Candace and Duke on the left. Candace said nothing and just sat, facing forward. She didn't want to get into a scuffle and get kicked out or anything.

"You picked a wonderful day to go train by yourself, you know that, Tori?" she thought to herself.

"Yeah, it's been way too long. Let's catch up," Duke said, a fake smile upon his face as well.

"What are you doing here anyway? I would think that training should take priority over silly little events like this. We only stopped by to say hi," Katya said.

"Yeah, how could you possibly win the upcoming contest if you're out fooling around like this?" Duke asked.

Still avoiding eye contact because she didn't want to cause physical harm to these two, Candace spoke: "'Moral Support' is obviously an unfamiliar concept for you two, so let me make it real clear – "

"Oh, what's this?" Duke asked, picking up Candace's gym badge case, which happened to be sitting in her lap. Candace pretended not to care and watched as Larvitar finished off the berries from round one and the volunteers had to pry him away from the picnic blanket he was trying to eat.

"Larvitar dear, we appreciate the spirit, but that's not food…" Emma said, awkwardly.

"Oh wow, Katya!" Duke exclaimed.

"My God, can they leave now, please?" Candace thought to herself.

"Look at all these gym badges!" Duke finished.

"Gee, Candace! Five badges? You must be working real hard! But...I thought you were a coordinator..." Katya trailed off, pretending ignorance.

"She is! She's taking the Pokemon League challenge too!" Duke exclaimed.

"Really? Wow! That must be hard...but Duke...if I recall correctly, Candace only has one ribbon...I could have sworn you need five ribbons…" Katya trailed off again.

"SHUT UP!" Candace's thoughts screamed as she watched Larvitar choke on Mime Jr. and the volunteers come to get Mime Jr. out of his mouth. Suddenly the image of Larvitar eating Duke's head appeared in Candace's mind. She smiled as she fantasized further: Larvitar then uses Earth Power and the lava spewing up swallows Katya and both Candace and Larvitar throw their hands up and cheer. Duke interrupted her little daydream by continuing their obviously planned conversation.

"Well she's obviously focusing on her gym battles right now. I guess she took my advice after all; I told her it's pointless to do both," he said.

"But, wait, Duke? Didn't you see the Aggrestic City contest on TV the other day? She was in it...and she didn't even make it passed the preliminary round..." Katya said.

"Ouch...come to think of it, I recall watching the Cava City contest the other day and she lost that one too," Duke added. Candace was clearly furious, and tried as hard as she could to not explode.

"Aww don't feel bad. Look at all those shiny gym badges you have! You're doing great with that!" Katya exclaimed. Duke tossed the gym badge case back into Candace's lap and frowned.

"Actually, I've heard a pretty interesting rumor about her losing a gym battle recently...hmmm...is that true, Candace?" he asked.

"Actually, I think I heard about that too. Gee that sucks, Candace. So Duke...does this mean she's...failed at both?" Katya asked. Candace found that one of her eyes was developing a rather nasty twitch.

"Yeah, I'd say so," Duke concluded. Thoughts of taking out Team Jurassic grunts, Pachirisu creating chaos and destruction, and spending all her money on food for Larvitar ran through Candace's mind.

"…I've been a little preoccupied…" she said.

"You mean there's more? You sure are juggling a lot!" Katya exclaimed.

"Yeah, I'm surprised you're not down there, taking part in this stupid little event," Duke said.

"Oh, Duke did I tell you that Chucky told me about the newest addition to Candace's party? A cute little Larvitar," Katya informed.

"Well...isn't that a Larvitar down there?" Duke asked. Katya squinted.

"Yup! Oh and look who's standing with it…Candace's little boyfriend. So...I guess she is participating in this!" Katya exclaimed. Candace stood up.

"DO YOU WANNA TAKE THIS OUTSIDE?" she demanded. Everyone in the eating contest, including Larvitar, paused and looked up silently to stare at the girl who had made this sudden outburst. Duke and Katya looked away, pretending that they had been watching the even the whole time, then looked back at Candace with raised eyebrows. "S-sorry," Candace stuttered and sat back down.

"Oh Duke," Katya began.

"My Eevee bites," Candace said. Eevee, whose head was popping out of the front of Candace's hoodie, looked just about as angry as Candace was.

"What?" Duke asked, ignoring Candace.

"Shut up now," Candace muttered.

"Did you know that Candace," Katya began, but was cut off by a soft, yet stern voice.

"Knock it off, you two." It was spoken quietly, but there was a power in it that couldn't be copied with volume.

The three looked up and found Lacey standing there.

"L-Lacey…" Katya stuttered. Duke looked like he was about to wet his pants.

"Duke, do you mind sitting next to your friend so that I may sit next to mine?" Lacey asked. Without a word, Duke got up and moved.

"Huh, I guess even these two respect the region's number one coordinator…and her friends…friends? But I'm not…" Candace thought to herself. Lacey took a seat next to her.

"Leave her alone you two. Your ribbon count isn't that much higher than hers. You've got just as much work ahead of you as she does. If anything, she's doing better than you because she's defeated five of the strongest trainers in the entire region and won the very first contest she ever participated in. So I'd watch your mouth," Lacey warned.

"Beginner's luck, obviously," Duke said under his breath. Katya giggled.

"And just how many ribbons do you two have anyway?" Kyle asked.

"Kyle?" Candace asked.

"We lost…" Kyle said.

"Three…" Duke said.

"Two…" Katya said.

"That's funny, because when I met you, you had three," Candace said.

"I've been taking it easy and letting Katya win. I haven't even entered any…" Duke said.

"This will be the first contest he's entered since Neon City," Katya said.

"Thanks dear, but we could have come to that conclusion on our own," Lacey said. Katya's face turned red with embarrassment.

"And I've won both of the contests I've entered since Neon…" she added.

"That's very nice. Good for the both of you, but really? Leave Candace alone..." Lacey said.

"How many ribbons do you have now, Lacey?" Kyle asked.

"Eight…plus the Grand Festival ribbon," Lacey said.

"So you've won a contest since we last saw you!" Kyle blurted. Candace looked confused.

"Mhm it was in Serenity city. Kirlia teleported me there," Lacey said. Kyle thought for a moment.

"Hey wait a minute! I saw you on TV the other day…this won't be the first contest you enter since Neon, liar!" Kyle suddenly exclaimed. Lacey nodded, as she had seen it too but hadn't said anything.

"Oh that one doesn't count," Duke said.

"Sure it does. Everything counts," Kyle replied. Duke chuckled arrogantly and looked back at them.

"Well we'll be seeing you. C'mon Katya," Duke said suddenly. The two got up and left. The remaining three looked back to the contest. Larvitar and Munchlax were the only two Pokemon left and were pigging out, burping and coughing up bits of food which were flying everywhere now. Daniel had lifted one of the blankets and was shielding the others with it.

"That's…disgusting…" Candace said. The contest seemed to go on forever after that, but as everyone except Chucky expected, Munchlax was the first to give in.

"Larvitar is the winner!" Emma announced and one of the volunteers brought in an orange-red egg with a yellow triangle on the front. It was in the same kind of incubator that the Swablu egg was in, topped with a Cherish Ball. The volunteer handed it to Emma, she called Daniel over, and then rewarded him with it.

"Congratulations!" she said. Daniel thanked her and rejoined his friends, dragging Larvitar with him to keep the eternally hungry Pokemon from chewing on the stadium.

"So are you 'figuring things out' or are you here for the contest?" Daniel asked, looking at Lacey.

"Mmm, both," Lacey replied. "But I have some things to take care of. I just dropped by because I heard Duke and Katya plotting about something. All I heard them say was something about "messing with Candace," so I came to keep the peace.

"Thanks for the save," Candace said, smiling. Lacey turned and started walking away. She paused and turned her head back to them.

"Hey, say hi to my sister for me, okay?" she requested and walked out the door.

"Huh?" Candace asked.

"Tori," Daniel clarified.

"What? No way! They're sisters?" Candace asked. "How do you know?"

"Lacey told us," Kyle said.

"So am I the only one who didn't know?" Candace complained.

"Hm…Yeah, pretty much," Daniel teased. They left the building and Katya was standing outside, claws extended and ready to pounce.

"Lacey took pity on you, right? She's not your friend, right? You two don't even know each other, right?" the blond-haired girl questioned.

"She _is_ our friend!"

Everyone turned around to see who had said that and saw Tori standing there with Beautifly on her head.

"Tori?" Candace said, slightly confused.

"In fact she's more than that, she's _my sister_," Tori added. Katya glared at the younger girl, without saying anything.

"Scared? Or jealous?" Candace jeered.

"Hell no!" Katya shot back. "I want to battle you two _right now_!"

"Mind if I join in?" Duke asked, walking up beside Katya.

"I had a feeling we weren't rid of these two," Candace said with a sigh.

"Furret, let's take them out!" Katya yelled as she sent out her now evolved Sentret.

"Gallade, you too," Duke said, sending out a Gallade. Kyle took out his Pokedex.

"Gallade, the Blade Pokemon: This Pokemon fights quickly and fiercely by extending its elbows like swords. It's a master of courtesy and swordsmanship and can sense what the foe is thinking," the Dex reported.

Beautifly, it's show time," Tori whispered. Beautifly fluttered to her position.

"Growlithe, we can take 'em!" Candace cheered and sent out her Fire-type.

"Beautifly, use Aerial Ace!" Tori ordered.

"And you use Flamethrower," Candace added. The Pokemon nodded and Growlithe blasted a line of fire at his opponents, but the two Pokemon quickly dodged it. Beautifly zipped forward, soaring low to absorb some of the fire with the energy created from Aerial Ace.

"I bet Furret's faster than Beautifly," Katya said with a smile as the flaming butterfly closed in on the Normal-type.

"Doesn't matter. She can't dodge this, Beautifly use Heat Wave!" Tori said. Katya cocked her head because Beautifly can't learn a fire move, but when Beautifly halted, she understood. The moment Beautifly stopped, she flipped, releasing the fire that Aerial Ace had absorbed from Growlithe's attack. A wave of fire blasted over Furret and it cried out, but managed to hold itself together.

"Growlithe, use Flame Wheel!" Candace ordered.

"Silver Wind!" Tori added. Growlithe somersaulted forward, engulfed in flames and Beautifly flapped her wings, mixing Silver Wind into the fire.

"Furret, use Quick Attack!" Katya shouted, but the Long Body Pokemon couldn't move in time; Growlithe ran it right over. Furret coughed and struggled to its feet. Katya glared at Duke.

"What?" he asked with a smile.

"Are you going to help or what?" she asked.

"If I jump in, it'll end pretty quickly," he said.

"You're so full of yourself!" Candace said.

"Gallade, use Teleport," Duke said calmly. Gallade vanished and Duke continued, "And then use Slash!"

Gallade appeared in the air above Beautifly and as he fell to the ground, he sliced Beautifly across the back with the blade of one of his elbows. Beautifly cried out and fell to the ground. Tori gasped and ran out to her fallen Pokemon's side.

"Beautifly!" she shouted. Candace stared at the two for a moment then looked at Duke.

"Last time, you battled my baby Poochyena. This time, you're up against my best Pokemon. He's extremely talented, and powerful to boot. Neither of you stand a chance this time. Nor do you, Katya…no offense," he said.

"I understand," Katya said.

"We'll see," Candace said with a grin. "That description fits my Growlithe too!"

"Grow-ooo!" Growlithe howled in agreement. Duke smirked.

"Gallade, use Slash!" Duke ordered. Gallade dashed forward, blades glowing.

"Dodge it!" Candace shouted. Growlithe moved to the side as Gallade's blades came down, so it missed.

"I don't think so! Furret, use Quick Attack and follow it up with Slam!" Katya yelled. Furret sped forward at about two thirds of Pachirisu's speed and slammed into Growlithe's side. The Fire-type flew back and Duke took advantage of this by telling Gallade to Teleport and use Slash. Gallade appeared behind Growlithe as he flew back and he slashed him across the back. Growlithe fell straight down and struggled to stand back up. Gallade swung down again, but Growlithe caught the blade in his mouth and held it with Bite.

"Good job, Growlithe!" Candace exclaimed.

"But not good enough," Katya said. "Use Fury Swipes!"

Furret zipped forward and scratched Growlithe across the face, over and over again until he released his grip.

"Gallade, use Teleport!" Duke ordered. Gallade disappeared and Katya smiled.

"It's time for your specialty, use Hyper Voice!" she exclaimed. Furret opened her mouth and her voice boomed so loud that the sound waves knocked Growlithe back.

"Use Flame Wheel!" Candace ordered. Growlithe blasted forward, rolling quickly towards Furret and ran right into her. She flew back and he immediately came out of it as Candace ordered him to follow it up with Flamethrower.

"Confusion," Duke said. Gallade appeared and held up his arms. Growlithe became outlined in blue and couldn't move.

"Growlithe!" Candace called out, but there was nothing they could do. Duke's Gallade finished the Fire Pokemon off with one final slash and the match was over.

"Well, I'm glad that's settled," Duke said, turning to leave. Katya gloated silently, making victorious poses and giving Candace arrogant looks. Candace sighed and called Growlithe back to his ball. Katya noticed Duke walking away and her silence ended.

"Hey, we're leaving?" I'm not done enjoying this yet!" she complained.

"Then stay here. I have things to do anyway," he said without looking back. Katya turned to Candace.

"Ah, it feels so good to finally know that I'm better than you," she said.

"So you were doubtful before? Aww, you do think I'm good," Candace said. "All those times when you said you were better than me were all just cover-ups to hide your insecurity, but it's all okay now."

"Shut up! How could you be smiling like that when you just _lost_," Katya asked.

"Because this was only practice and I'm gonna kick your butt at the contest," Candace said with a wink. Katya looked behind her and Duke was nowhere to be seen.

"That's not going to happen…" she said and pretty much stomped away to find Duke. Larvitar tugged at his trainer's shirt and she bent down to comfort him.

"TAAAARRRR!" he whined. Tears were streaming down his face.

"Hey it's okay to lose," Candace reassured him. "I really wanted Growlithe and Beautifly to beat them too. We'll just have to train and get bett–Hey what's that?"

"Lar?" Larvitar sniffled, holding up an empty candy bar wrapper.

"You mean you don't even care that we lost? You're just crying over a friggin' _piece of chocolate_? YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" she screamed.

"So you're not really upset over losing?" Kyle asked, rescuing Larvitar from Candace's wrath.

"I know I can beat either one of them in one-on-one, but I can't take them both at once, so I'm really not all that concerned," she replied.

"I'm sorry," Tori said. "If I had raised Beautifly better–"

"Hush," Candace said. "It's not your fault. Besides, you've been training all day. Like I said, we're gonna stomp 'em tomorrow!"

Tori smiled and nodded. Beautifly flew out of her arms and landed on her head. As she stroked it, Kyle snatched Daniel's egg and showed it to her while sharing every single detail of the Pokemon Eating Competition. She smiled and listened quietly, but Candace cut him off at a certain point.

"As interesting as that is," she interrupted, "I have something I want to talk to Tori about…alone…"

Kyle stomped the ground angrily and walked away. Chucky followed and Daniel turned to the girls.

"I guess we're heading back to the hotel," he said. "Will you two be out long?"

"No need to be concerned; we can be out past dark because we've got our Pokemon with us," Candace said reassuringly.

"I know, but I just don't want anything bad to happen. I care about you…guys," he said.

"Aww," Candace said. "But we'll be fine, I promise!"

Daniel sighed, smiled, and ran off to catch up with the other two. Tori and Candace walked off and found themselves at a park, so they strolled over to the swing set and took a seat on a couple of swings. Candace seemed to be in deep thought about something so the two swayed back and forth for a while without saying anything. Finally, Candace broke the silence.

"Tori? Can I ask you something?" she asked, slowing down. Tori kept pumping.

"Sure," she said.

"Your sister…did something happen between you two? In Aggrestic you acted really weird…but now you seem to be better. It's just that you two seem to be avoiding each other," Candace said. Tori dropped one foot and came to a gradual stop.

"She thinks I'm mad at her," the younger girl said.

"Are you?" Candace asked.

"No," the shy girl said, looking up at the night sky.

"Why aren't you talking to each other?" Candace asked.

"Because…I'm scared…to know what she thinks of me," she said.

"Why?" Candace asked.

"She is an incredible coordinator! My parents are too. The three of them have all earned the title of Grand Festival Champion…and I want them to be proud of me. If I don't do well, they'll be ashamed of me…" Tori said, in tears. "And–"

"No! That's not true! Don't be stupid, Tori! I'm sure that they would love you no matter what!" Candace scolded.

"But what about other people?" Tori asked. "What would _they_ think of me? My family is amazing! But me? I'm…"

"You're amazing too! What's the matter with you?" Candace asked.

"…I don't know," Tori said, still in tears.

"Stop it! Wipe your tears!" Candace ordered. "Your sister is very nice and she misses you! I think…no! I'm _sure_!"

"Maybe…" Tori replied, looking down, no longer crying.

"Repeat after me: I will do my best. It will be fine…" Candace said.

"I will do my best. It will be fine," Tori said quietly.

"Once more, louder!" Candace said.

"I will do my best. It will be fine!" Tori exclaimed.

"Good," Candace said. "Do you feel better?"

"Yeah," Tori said.

"Good, now let's smoke 'em!" Candace cheered.

"Right!" Tori exclaimed with a nod.

~_~_~  
Author Notes:

Read and review please. I got this up a little sooner than I had thought. It feels like there were some pretty cheesy moments in this chapter. I mean it felt good when I was writing it, but after reading and revising the whole thing three times, it seemed a little different. I absolutely love it when Katya and Duke show up though, no matter how many times I read it. Anyway, I hope y'all like it.

The next chapter should be up within the next two weeks


	25. CH 25 The Hugel City Contest Begins

**Chapter 25: The Hugel City Contest Begins**

"Well, since our contest is in the evening, why don't you get that Gym battle out of the way?" Candace suggested the next morning. She was sitting on her bed, brushing Eevee's fur.

Daniel looked up. "Yeah, sounds good," he said. Candace grinned. Tori was sitting on her bed, writing in some sort of journal. She heard a tap and looked out the window to her left. Aron was out on as scaffolding, staring at her.

"K-Kyle!" she screamed.

"I know!" he shouted back from the other room. The other two sighed and tried to ignore it, getting used to the fact that this sort of thing happened nearly every day. There were just too many trouble-making Pokemon to keep in line.

"Question…" Daniel said.

"Shoot," Candace replied, watching Kyle reaching for Aron from the balcony.

"His Pokeball, Kyle! Use his Pokeball!" Daniel shouted. "I don't want them scraping you off the pavement with a spatula!"

"Oh," Kyle said, and called Aron back. Daniel sighed.

"Anyway, have you two even registered for the contest yet?" he asked.

After a brief period of panic, scrambling around and sprinting out of the hotel, the trainers found themselves back at the contest hall to register for the contest. They were in luck; entrants were still being accepted. The girls let out a sigh of relief and began to make their final decision about who they would be using.

"Let's see…Lacey will probably be using Kirlia and Duke is definitely using Gallade. Katya might use Furret or Chikorita or….damn, what else does she have? Well Randall uses Dark-types and Tori's gonna use Beautifly. Who's the best choice? Larvitar maybe…but he's too slow to go up against those Psychic-types. Hm…well I'll definitely use Larvitar for the preliminary round then," Candace thought as she debated which Pokemon to enter.

"Hm, I'm running out of ideas for the appeal round. I know I'll use Beautifly for round two, but who should I use for the preliminary round?" Tori whispered.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed. She looked down and Kyle's Pikachu was at her side.

"Did you want to participate in the contest, Pikachu?" she asked.

"Pika!" he cheered. She smiled.

"Kyle?" she asked.

"Yeah?" he asked, walking over to her.

"Can…" she began.

"Can…" he echoed, waiting for her to finish.

"I don't know who to use for the preliminary round, and, well, Pikachu is really cute and well, he really wants to…um…" she stuttered. Kyle laughed.

"Of course you can borrow him!" Kyle exclaimed. Tori blushed and smiled.

"Here you go," Candace said, handing in her paperwork to the receptionist.

"Who are you using?" Tori asked.

"It's a surprise," Candace said with a smile.

"Same here," Tori said with a nod.

"Well we've got some major time to kill now," Candace said as they exited the building. "Wanna head over to the Gym now?"

"I don't see why not," Daniel replied, so they did. And when they got there, they saw Hawk standing outside, trying to shoo away a Chatot.

"Problem?" Candace asked. Hawk looked at them.

"Do you remember how I said I hate referees?" Hawk asked.

"Yea…" Candace replied.

"Well _this_ is why…_THIS _IS WHY I HATE REFEREES!" Hawk shouted as the Chatot flew away.

"...I don't get it. It was just a Chatot…" Kyle said, staring off into the direction it flew in.

"_Just_ a Chatot? Look. Due to budget cuts, the Serrano Pokemon League couldn't afford to assign me a referee, so they assigned me a Chatot. They thought it would make more sense to assign _me_ the Chatot because I'm 'that bird guy.' WELL THINK AGAIN, ASSHOLES! Chatot is such an obnoxious little Pokemon…I mean, don't get me wrong…I love all bird Pokemon…EXCEPT CHATOT!" Hawk ranted.

"So…is now a bad time?" Daniel asked.

"No, let's just go get this over with," Hawk muttered. The two walked inside and positioned themselves. The others took their seats in the stands.

"So what do you think he's going to do?" Kyle asked Candace as Hawk went over the rules.

The girl shrugged. "No idea," she admitted. "He's got no type advantage here. In fact, his strongest Pokemon has a disadvantage, with Ground against Flying."

"So what's he going to do?" Tori asked.

"Dunno," Candace answered. "He might try to bull through with Gabite and Skarmory, or he could improvise something with Totodile...I mean he does have Ice Fang…" She broke off as Hawk sent out Staraptor. Daniel responded by sending out Totodile, his face tight. The Water-type flexed theatrically, preening in the ring. "I guess he's going to improvise. This won't be an easy match for him. He'll have to push his Pokemon harder than ever before."

"Why do you think that?" Kyle asked.

"He's strong, and I don't mean to disparage him, but he's been…well, kind of skimping on training," Candace replied. "The opponents have been getting stronger. He has too, but not as quickly. He just had a massive head start on them."

"Certainly glad you don't have any Electric-types," Hawk said, relieved.

"Well, I'll have to figure something out," Daniel said. "Totodile, use Ice Fang!" Totodile bounced – literally – into action, blasting bolts of ice energy across the ring and nearly clipping Hawk with one of them.

However, while he nearly hit the Gym leader, he completely missed the Gym leader's Pokemon. "I swear, I'm getting him fitted for glasses," Daniel muttered, ordering another Ice Fang as Staraptor took flight. This attack was no more effective than the last, but Daniel's eyes narrowed and a quiet smile flickered across his face.

"He just came up with something," Kyle announced. "I know that look."

"Totodile, get a big Water Gun ready," Daniel said casually as Staraptor flung it's wings back, before thrusting them forward, sending a massive gust of wind blasting across the ring that nearly blew Totodile off his feet. The Water-type's cheeks bulged comically, and he inflated, his stomach ballooning out. "Now douse the place. Everything." Totodile released a massive amount of water, and within seconds, the entire Gym was dripping.

"Why on earth would he do that?" Kyle asked, wiping water out of his eyes.

"No idea," Candace answered, blowing a strand of wet hair off her face. "Doubt that he knows either."

"Brave Bird!" Hawk shouted, and Staraptor dove, tucking in its wings and diving straight at Totodile.

"Remember the Ice Punch move we learned?" Daniel shouted to his Pokemon. Totodile nodded and spat icy energy onto his fist, winding up. When the two Pokemon were only a few feet apart, Totodile jumped, but not directly at Staraptor. He instead jumped to the side, punching the flaming Flying-type in the head and taking a glancing blow from the attack that still sent him skidding across the flooded ring on his back. Digging his claws into the water, Totodile flipped onto his feet, as Staraptor floundered for a moment, before standing up and taking flight again.

"Well, as cool as that was," Candace began as Totodile dodged another Gust, "that would only work once. Hawk's not stupid; he won't fall for it again." Totodile fired off a Water Gun that was easily blasted back by Staraptor, catching the Big Jaw Pokemon with his own attack and sending him splashing across the ring.

"Then what's he planning?" Kyle demanded. "He normally doesn't mess around this long!"

Candace's eyes widened. "Maybe that's it," she whispered.

"What?" Kyle asked. "What's it?"

"He doesn't _have_ a plan," Candace said slowly as Totodile struggled to his feet and fired off another Water Gun.

"Oh, this can't end well," Kyle mumbled. "Bad things happen when he improvises. Like that time back in Rioja City when he -"

"Let's just watch the battle, huh?" Candace sighed.

"Protect," Hawk ordered, as a Water Gun split cleanly around the protective sphere that Staraptor summoned. "Now use Brave Bird again!"

"Totodile…" Daniel said. "Use…" he hesitated, and it was too late. Staraptor collided at full speed with Totodile, plowing the Water-type into the floor of the arena. "TOTODILE!" Daniel shouted, wide-eyed. A pair of glowing blue flippers reached out of the crater, and Daniel's eyes bugged out. "No way…" A glowing figure stood from where Totodile had fallen, and Daniel grinned.

"What is that?" Candace asked, fumbling for her Pokedex. Kyle had his out first.

"Croconaw, the Big Jaw Pokemon: It opens its huge jaws wide when attacking. If it loses any fangs while biting, they grow back in. There are always forty-eight fangs lining its mouth," The Dex rattled off. The two siblings stared at Daniel's newly evolved Pokemon. Gone was the tiny, playful-looking Pokemon. In its place was a significantly larger, meaner-looking Pokemon with bigger fangs and larger spines on its back.

"Hell. Yes," Daniel said quietly. "Croconaw, let's see what you got. Give me an Ice Fang on the water!"

Croconaw grunted, and sent a massive bolt of ice energy into the water that was still dripping down the walls and onto the floor, freezing it solid. Within moments, the interior of the Gym was covered in sheets of ice, and their breath immediately began fogging up. "Nicely done, buddy. Think you can extend it?"

Croconaw slammed his flippers onto the ice, before biting down on it. Hawk's eyes bulged. His mouth was hanging open, as it had since Totodile had started evolving, and Staraptor squawked. Hawk shook himself. "Dodge it!"

A pillar of ice shot out from one of the walls, nearly hitting Staraptor who fluttered out of the way. Another column of ice fired from the opposite wall, and Staraptor dodged again.

"Keep it up, Croconaw," Daniel encouraged, and his Water-type pumped more energy into the attack. Two, then three pillars of ice sprouted, bracketing Staraptor.

"He's forcing him down," Kyle said, as more of the ice columns blocked off the upper reaches of the Gym. "He's taken away Hawk's maneuverability. This'll be over soon."

"You've got him!" Daniel shouted. "NOW!" Out of two of the ice beams that had already been made, _another_ set grew, trapping the Predator Pokemon in a cage of thin ice. "Good. Now finish it. Ice Punch!"

There was a rumble, and an icy fist slammed through several of the beams, taking the ice cage with it and slamming Staraptor into the ground. The Flying-type slumped, unconscious.

"Staraptor is unable to battle! Croconaw wins this round! CHAAAA!" a Chatot called. They looked up and saw the Chatot from before roosting on one of the perches.

"I told you to get the hell out of here!" Hawk shouted. The Chatot squawked and ruffled its feathers.

"LOSER!" it screeched. "LOSER LOSER!"

Hawk muttered to himself and looked back at Daniel. "You may have taken out one, but you've still got the other two of my most powerful-"

"Yeah, yeah, they're each your most powerful Pokemon, I know," Daniel said impatiently. "Get on with it!"

Hawk's eye twitched. "Pidgeot?" He asked in a sickly-sweet voice. "Would you mind coming out here please?" Pidgeot appeared, looking around the Gym with no small amount of surprise, before looking to Hawk for orders. "Him," Hawk said, pointing at Croconaw. "Out. Now." Pidgeot shot forward using Steel Wing and caught Croconaw under the chin, ripping him clear off the ice with a choked "Grk!" sound and slamming him against the icy wall. "Smash up some of that ice, while you're at it," Hawk ordered. Using the same ice that Croconaw had created minutes before as a weapon, Pidgeot slammed the Water-type around the Gym, sending ice shards clattering to the floor. Daniel didn't react.

"Daniel…" Candace said quietly. "Why aren't you stopping this?"

"Croconaw can't take much more," Kyle said, as more ice shattered. Daniel still hadn't moved, staring straight ahead.

"Daniel," Candace said. The boy didn't react. "DANIEL!"

"Do it now, Croconaw," Daniel said softly. "Crunch." Croconaw seized the Flying-type by the neck, even as he was shoved through another ice pillar. Fangs glowing, Croconaw bit down on Pidgeot's wing, rolling his head violently. Pidgeot screamed, losing control and slamming into the ground.

The Flying-type rolled over painfully, staggering to its feet and gingerly walking over to Hawk. Croconaw didn't move, and Daniel silently recalled his Pokemon. "I'm sorry," he said, not meeting anyone's eyes. "I should have ended it." Candace saw him rub his fingers over the scarred Pokeball before reaching for the silver one next to it. "Skarmory, you're up."

"Going to sacrifice another one of your Pokemon to take out mine?" Hawk asked bitterly. "I thought better of you."

"Shut it," Daniel said. "I ask more of Croconaw because I know he can take it. That's the worst I've ever let him get hurt, and I'll die before I let it happen again." He sent out Skarmory. "Croconaw's down hard," he said. "I'm hoping you can clean this up." The Steel Bird Pokemon screamed at Hawk and spread his wings wide, before taking flight.

"Take him down, Pidgeot," Hawk said, his face no longer showing any signs of joy. "Try to be a little less rough, but don't hold back too much."

"Steel Wing!" the two trainers shouted, and with glowing wings, the Pokemon clashed, sending shockwaves across the Gym that crumbled more of the ice.

For several minutes, the two Pokemon attacked and countered, neither able to get a decisive hit. A Fury Attack here, an Air Cutter there, all whilst attacking and defending with Steel Wing, but nothing that would knock the opponent out of the fight. The two Pokemon were too evenly matched, leaving them in a deadlock.

"So now what?" Hawk asked as the two Flying-types clashed again.

"Skarmory, break off," Daniel ordered. "Work up some speed." Skarmory moved too fast to see, seemingly vanishing in midair.

"Please," Hawk scoffed. "Pidgeot can reach almost Mach Two." The Bird Pokemon in question was hovering, looking for Skarmory.

"Yeah, if they accelerate enough in a straight line," Daniel retorted. "Can they do that moving in a circle from a virtual dead stop?" Hawk gaped at him, and Daniel nodded as the ice shards on the ground began to rattle and the wind picked up. "That's why I expect my Pokemon to be able to take punishment. I know they're capable of dishing it out." The debris on the floor began to move, and Hawk's eyes widened.

"What attack is this?" He asked.

"Skarmory's speed," Daniel replied. An ice shard zipped by his face, and the boy touched a hand to his cheek, seeing blood on it. Nodding silently, he wiped his hand on his pants and continued. "You might want to get down. You're likely to get killed out here."

"What about you?" Hawk asked as he curled up.

Daniel didn't reply as the wind increased, the loose ice funneling around the room. Pidgeot seemed to be in the eye of the storm, with the spectators, trainers, and Chatot shielding their faces from the blasting wind and flying shrapnel. The wind force continued to grow, until Daniel finally looked at Pidgeot and nodded.

The ice storm that had previously clung to the edges of the Gym suddenly collapsed, swirling inwards and slamming into Pidgeot with the force of a hurricane. Daniel turned away, and Candace spotted a glistening line running down his face, but was it was from the wind?

The last of the ice clattered to the ground, and Skarmory and Pidgeot began to fall. Candace gasped, but Skarmory's wings tilted, and with the other Bird Pokemon on his back, he glided the length of the Gym, stumbling to a halt and letting Pidgeot slide gently to the floor, before collapsing into his own trainer's arms.

"Easy, Skarmory," Daniel whispered as his Steel-type's feathers jabbed into his hands. "Rest easy, pal." Holding a handful of Berries to Skarmory's beak, Daniel let the Pokemon gulp them down, before returning him to his Pokeball.

Silently, Hawk sent out Dodrio.

Daniel reached for his final Pokeball. "Gabite. Come on out." The Dragon-type entered the ring, and Daniel frowned. "This one won't be easy, old friend." Daniel's partner shrugged. "We've got two down." Gabite snarled at him, and Daniel nodded. "I know. It wasn't…it won't happen again." Gabite nodded once, and Daniel seemed to relax.

"Did he just…" Kyle trailed off.

"Not justify his actions? Tell his Pokemon that he regretted what he did and that it won't happen again?" Candace finished. "Yeah, I think so."

"Dodrio, use Double Team," Hawk ordered. The Triple Bird Pokemon multiplied as it had with Kyle, and Daniel shook his head.

"Won't work here," Daniel rasped.

"Why not?" Hawk asked, as they charged, using Quick Attack.

"First," Daniel said, as Gabite dodged the first head's attack on one Dodrio and slammed the other two heads together, popping the illusion, "Gabite's fast enough to keep up. Second…" Gabite leaped clear over a cluster of Dodrio and slammed another into the ground. It didn't vanish, as it was the real Dodrio. "We can tell which one is the real Dodrio."

"How?" Kyle and Hawk demanded simultaneously. Kyle did so at much higher volume.

Daniel shook his head slowly. "Tch. Can't believe you can't figure it out." He exhaled theatrically, his breath fogging up. "Bird Pokemon are so keen-eyed, and yet you can't see what's literally right in front of you? Disappointing."

Candace facepalmed. "The real Dodrio's breath still fogs up. The fake ones don't breathe, so the fog gives the real one away!" she whispered to Kyle, and the younger boy grinned.

"Nice, Daniel!" Kyle shouted.

"Oh, it doesn't matter," Hawk said defiantly. "Dodrio! Use Tri Attack!" The same red triangle that had taken out Mime Jr. the previous day formed on the beaks of each Dodrio.

"Gabite, use Sandstorm." A wall of sand kicked up, absorbing one of the triangles. A fraction of a second later, another batch of sand flared, blocking another attack. Within ten seconds, the attacks had all been expended and Gabite was unharmed. Daniel cocked his head at Hawk. "You know, that attack simultaneously burns, freezes, and electrocutes. Since Gabite's a Ground-type only two of the three would have been effective. But one of those really could have hurt, had it landed. Twelve of them launched at once? That would have put Gabite in the hospital."

Daniel paused a moment. "I haven't been put in a corner like this for quite a while. I guess we're fighting rough." He looked back at his partner. "Gabite. Sandstorm the place."

The sand flared again, this time moving out. The Dodrio, seeing what was coming, dashed to get away, but were quickly swallowed by the sand and knocked to the ground. Daniel nodded approvingly and continued his commands. "Now use Dragonbreath. Turn the arena into a parking lot." Gabite exhaled a long blast of superheated air, turning the sand to glass. The last of the fake Dodrios popped under the intense heat, and the real one staggered to its feet, weaving unsteadily.

The disorientation might have had something to do with the block of glass that was stuck to and weighing down the center head. It also might have had something to do with the Dragon Claw that Gabite swung into the left head without even waiting for a command from Daniel, knocking the Triple Bird Pokemon flying into the wall. On the other hand, it might have had something to do with the Dodrio then being pulled off the wall and thrown across the Gym by Gabite, only to be met by the same Dragon-type winding up. The Cave Pokemon thrust one arm out, effectively clotheslining Dodrio and knocking it flat on its back, out cold.

"Dodrio is unable to battle," Chatot said chirped. "The challenger wins."

"That was a rough battle, kid," Hawk said, trying to ignore the Chatot. "You were pretty vicious, but you earned the Talon Badge, I suppose."

"I'm not sure I deserve it," Daniel admitted. "Not after what I put Croconaw through with Staraptor."

"Take it," Hawk said quietly. "Pushing your Pokemon is part of growing too. Yes, you went overboard. Yes, you pushed your Pokemon a little more than you should have. But you realize there's a problem. You will not let this happen again. End of angst." He pressed the badge into Daniel's hand and walked away after recalling Dodrio.

"CHAAA! Hey, you're a pretty!" Chatot squawked.

"Chatot, go home!" Hawk called angrily. "I'm sorry, but could you all please leave now? I have some things to take care of…"

"Yeah, no problem," Daniel said, gathering the others.

"We've still got quite a bit of time left," Candace said, once outside.

"True, what now?" Kyle asked.

"Don't know, but first…" Candace trailed off before knocking Daniel upside the head.

"OW!" he shouted. "What was that for?"

"What the hell is the matter with you? I can't believe how you battled today! You are the craziest son of a bitch I've ever met. Were you _trying_ to get you or your Pokemon _killed_?" she demanded.

"Hey, look, I'm sorry!" he exclaimed, so she hit him again.

"DON'T APPOLOGIZE TO ME! APPOLOGIZE TO CROCONAW!" she shouted.

"Uh," Tori began as she restrained Candace. "Maybe we could go train a bit…so we'll be completely ready for the contest tonight!"

Candace calmed down a little and agreed to go but quickly shot a mean glance back at Daniel.

"Just don't tire yourselves out," Daniel said nervously, rubbing his head.

"Don't worry," the girls said and took off to find the nearest open area to train in. They spent a few hours there until it was finally time to get ready for the contest. They headed back to the hotel, slipped into their dresses and made their way to the Contest Hall. The boys took a seat in the audience and the girls headed to the coordinator's lounge where Lacey greeted them and led them to one of the sofas in front of the TV screen. Emma was making her welcoming speech and the girls sat down with Lacey to watch. Duke walked in and, without saying anything, took a seat in the sofa adjacent to theirs. Katya came in shortly after and took a seat beside him, then fiddled with her hair.

Tori and Candace patiently watched as all of the coordinators made their appeals. It would take some time because there were a lot of people and the two girls registered late, so they would probably be taking the stage last. There were a lot of good appeals, but only a certain few that the girls were looking forward to watching.

The first was Lacey and her Mawile:

"Mawile, use Shadow Ball!" Lacey commanded. Mawile opened the toothy, jaw-like horns on her head and fired a Shadow Ball straight up. "And now Ice Beam!"

"MAH!" Mawile exclaimed as it shot a light blue beam of icy energy from its jaw-like horns. This energy surrounded the Shadow Ball and transformed it into a solid ball of ice, so it began to fall straight down.

"Good, now use Iron Head," Lacey said. Mawile grinned and sprang straight up, the jaw-like horns glowing bright white, and smashed the ball with them. Tiny, shimmering bits of ice scattered and rained down over the arena as Mawile landed gracefully on the ground. The audience was dazzled by the simple, but stunning combination. "Now for the finale, use Flash Cannon!"

Mawile opened up her horns once more and a bright, silver orb formed within it. Then a bright, silver beam shot from it, straight up into the sky. Mawile held it for some time, showing off her power as the beam of energy glimmered in the moonlight, and then bowed when she was done.

"Not that I'd expect anything less from Lacey, but I'd like to commemorate all of the training that went into teaching it all those moves that most Mawile don't learn without being taught! I believe that Iron Head was the only one that a Mawile can learn naturally," Contesta praised.

"And unlike other Mawile, this one doesn't appear to be all bark and no bite. That Flash Cannon was intense!" Nurse Joy added.

"A remarkable appeal from a remarkable Pokemon and its remarkable coordinator!" Mr. Sukizo concluded. Kyle sighed at the overuse of the word 'remarkable.'

Next in line was Randall and his Mismagius' performance:

"Mismagius, let's go!" Randall exclaimed, sending out a Ghost-type Pokemon who popped out in mid-air and hovered over her trainer who was wearing a standard black and white tuxedo for the event.

"This really is a special contest folks!" Emma announced. "You may or may not know this, but Randall is the Midnight City Gym Leader! We're about to witness some amazing power, but will it win him the contest?"

"A Gym Leader?" Duke sneered. Katya giggled.

"Try not to shit your pants," Candace muttered.

"What was that?" Duke asked.

"Huh? I didn't say anything," Candace replied, smiling.

"Mismagius, use Power Gem," Randall ordered. Mismagius nodded and the middle orb on her body began to glow orange, forming a yellow ball of energy which was fired upwards, followed by four more. They were slightly smaller and they surrounded it up in the air.

"Hey, wait a minute…Isn't Mismagius a Ghost-type?" Kyle asked. "But I thought he used Dark-types…"

"Yes," Daniel replied. "But it's probably mastered a few Dark-type moves. Besides, there's no set rule that forces a Gym Leader to have only Pokemon of their preferred type. It's customary, but not mandatory."

"Oh," Kyle said, looking forward.

"Now use Psywave!" Randall added. Mismagius became outlined in bright blue energy and five tentacle-like beams of Psychic energy snaked out and clung to the Power Gems, holding them in place above the arena. Then the orbs on her body began to glow dark black.

"Maag?" Mismagius asked.

"Yup! Dark Pulse," Randal said. Dark purple beams outlined in black shot from the orbs on her body. There were five branches: four single beams and one terrifyingly large one. Everyone watching gasped; the size wasn't even what made it so frightening, it was the shape. It consisted of dozens of beams, intertwined with each other to form a dragon's face.

"I didn't even know you can _do_ that with Dark Pulse!" Duke exclaimed with a mix of shock, slight anger, and maybe even a little jealousy.

"It's massive!" Katya added, wide-eyed with fear. Lacey looked at the two and smiled while Candace rolled her eyes.

"That's the Pokemon League for ya," Lacey said. The two looked at her.

"Yeah, well power isn't everything in a contest!" Duke barked.

"It is if you can channel it correctly," Lacey corrected, looking back to the screen in time to see the four individual beams piercing through the four outer Power Gems, leaving one floating in the middle of four explosions of fireworks. The dragon face shot straight up for the final Power Gem, opening its jaw and slamming it down around the Power Gem, creating a huge explosion with a big, beautiful lavender-colored firework.

"Wow! Who'd of thought a _Gym Leader_ could do _that_?" Emma exclaimed.

"Oh Emma, be nice," Lacey thought to herself and turned to Duke. "See?" she said.

Back in the audience, Mime Jr. was in awe and trembling slightly. Something about the Ghost Pokemon scared him and he didn't understand why. As if she sensed his uneasiness, she turned and glanced at him with a wicked grin. He shuddered and buried his face into Kyle's chest.

"Mime Jr.?" Kyle asked closing his arms tightly around his partner Pokemon.

"Still think you're ready to battle him?" Daniel asked. "Good luck doing it without your Pokemon. Even they know that they're out of their league at this point. Don't worry, we'll keep up the hard work and we'll get there someday."

"You think we're that far away?" Kyle asked sadly.

Daniel snorted. "At my best, I couldn't hope for more than delaying getting my head handed to me for more than a few minutes. And that's if he was fighting at half strength."

Randall called his Ghost-type back and walked off the stage.

And next up was Duke, with his Drifblim:

"Drifblim, use Rain Dance!" Duke ordered. The Drifblim raised its arms and it began to drizzle, but Drifblim concentrated and it became a total downpour, creating a small layer of water on the stage. It then drifted downwards as Duke told it to use Protect. A blue sphere formed around it and it began to spin in place, just above the large puddle of water. Water splashed up and whirled around with it, spreading out and lightly splashing whoever was close enough. The way the water moved around the sphere really was a pretty sight, and the crowd was pleased.

"Blim," Drifblim chanted as it came to a gradual stop and the sphere faded.

"Awesome, now use Sunny Day! Then Flash!" Duke exclaimed. Drifblim raised its arms and the weather became sunny. The Blimp Pokemon then lit up with Flash and shined brightly in the sunlight, until it faded and the sky became dark once again.

And lastly, it was Katya and her Jumpluff's turn:

"Use Splash!" Katya exclaimed. Her Jumpluff hopped up and down slightly, cheering happily.

"Aww, how cute!" Emma commented.

"So _that's_ what Splash is for!" Kyle realized.

"What? Shitty contest appeals?" Daniel asked with a grin.

"Now use Bounce!" Katya added. The small hops became bigger and bigger until Jumpluff was bouncing high up into the air, having the time of its life.

"Does anyone else here want to punt that thing?" Daniel asked. Kyle immediately raised his hand and the people within hearing distance turned to glare at them.

"But it's so round...and puntable..." Daniel said. The people glaring at him glared harder for a moment then looked back to the contest.

"Aaaand Double Team!" Katya added. With each bounce, another Jumpluff appeared and bounced along too, all at the same pace and height. Pretty soon, there were five Jumpluff bouncing around. Then Katya told them all to use Attract and each one winked at a random point in the audience and pink hearts were released from their bodies, drifting into the audience and making everyone fall in love with this adorable Pokemon.

"Is that even a good appeal?" Kyle asked. Daniel pointed at the judges, who had fallen in love with the Jumpluff too. "I guess so," he muttered.

"Pluff!" Jumpluff cheered as they began to twirl and landed softly. The fakes disappeared and the real one curtsied for the audience, who went wild over how adorable the appeal was.

"I swear, those things are evil," Daniel said.

"Evil? Come again?" Kyle asked.

"Look at its eyes," Daniel said. "It's plotting, I swear."

There were many other appeals in between, but finally, it was Candace's turn. She made her way to the stage and took out a Pokeball.

"Larvitar, let's see how you do," she said, sending out her little garbage disposal.

"Well now…I certainly wasn't expecting that," Daniel said.

"Larvitar? For the _preliminary _round? And just what can he do? Is she crazy?" Kyle asked.

"Larvitar, use Dig!" Candace ordered. Larvitar dug underground and popped up repeatedly until there were around fifteen holes scattered around the arena.

"Tar!" he said, popping out for the final time.

"Good, now use Sandstorm!" she said. Larvitar stood over the nearest hole and dropped his arms into it.

"Why would she create a sandstorm in an underground tunnel? You can't even see it!" Katya said.

"Oopsie," Duke said, smiling.

"Now use Earth Power!" Candace shouted. Larvitar raised his arms and the ground began to shake. As lava erupted, geysers of sand shot up from the holes in a star-like formation around him. The lava merely added to the effect, appearing as glowing yellow cracks in the blast of sand.

"Creative," Lacey said. "Although I was sort of expecting a bit more…"

"I had no idea that Larvitar had the mental capacity to calculate the distance between the holes and make them so perfectly spaced apart," Kyle said with a sigh.

"Think she planted food down there to mark where he needed to come up?" Daniel joked. Kyle laughed.

"Not done yet," Candace whispered with a smile. "Rock Slide!"

Larvitar raised his arms and began to glow blue. A few moments later, a boulder navigated its way into the arena through the opening in the roof. It was also outlined in blue, so it was obviously Larvitar's doing. As it came down, he opened his mouth and Candace cocked her head. He snapped his jaw shut and the boulder shattered. He got a mouthful of rock bits, so he just ate them. Candace smacked her forehead.

"What incredible jaw power!" Contesta commented.

"I would _not_ want that thing to bite me!" Nurse Joy said with an uncomfortable smile.

"But it's pretty remarkable!" Mr. Sukizo added.

"Not exactly what I was planning, but it'll do," Candace muttered as she called Larvitar back.

"And this brings us to our final entrant, Tori!" Emma announced, as Candace left and Tori took the stage. Tori took out a Pokeball and sent it out. She decided to try something; she wanted to make a good appeal without the use of ball seals, so she didn't put any on Pikachu's ball. She figured that Pokemon don't _need_ the ball seal to look fantastic and coordinators that do _need_ them shouldn't be coordinators.

"Pika!" Kyle's Pikachu exclaimed.

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" Tori ordered, and Pikachu sped around the outskirts arena. "Now use Double Team!" she whispered. Pikachu slowed and had apparently multiplied while he was running because there were several Pikachu surrounding the ring by the time he came to a complete stop.

"She taught Pikachu Double Team!" Kyle exclaimed. "SO COOL!"

"Now use Thunder!" Tori ordered.

"PIKA-CHUUU!" the fake Pikachu exclaimed, firing powerful thunderbolts up into the sky. The real Pikachu was a part of the border too, but he remained still and ready until he suddenly darted to the middle of the arena. The Thunder came down and struck him in the center of the ring. He began to glow for a moment before becoming completely surrounded by golden electricity, the black outline of his body could be seen within it. He dashed forward, speeding around the ring to destroy the fakes. When he was finished he leapt up and somersaulted in mid-air before giving a final Thunderbolt, and then landed gracefully on the ground, small sparks discharging along his body.

"That was Volt Tackle, everyone! It appears that Pikachu has just learned it!" Emma announced.

"DOUBLE TEAM _AND_ VOLT TACKLE? TORI, YOU'RE AMAZING!" Kyle shouted, full of excitement.

Tori called Pikachu back, curtsied, and left the stage. Emma looked to the judges and they nodded.

"Alright, folks!" Emma exclaimed. "The judges have made their final decisions! Stay tuned because you won't want to miss this!"


	26. CH 26 The End?

**Chapter 26: The End?**

The coordinators waited in anticipation as the judges made their decisions. The three nodded and eight coordinators appeared on the board, in order of who earned the most points to who earned the least. At the top was Lacey, followed by Duke, Candace, Katya, Tori, Randall, and two other coordinators.

"The names will now be jumbled up so round two can commence!" Emma announced.

The pictures scrambled around on the screen. When they stopped, they showed that Candace and one of the other trainers, a girl, would be up first. The two took to the arena.

Surprisingly enough, Candace decided to use Pachirisu, knowing deep down that she was going to need his speed if she wanted to beat Duke's Gallade or Lacey's Kirlia. Her battle with the girl took the full five-minute period, but Candace dominated the match, losing only a tenth of her points. The next battle went by fairly quickly. It was between Katya and the other unknown trainer, a boy that Candace and Tori had never seen before. Unknown or not, Katya and her Furret had her opponent beat within the first minute and a half.

Next up was Lacey and Duke.

"Good luck, Duke," Candace said with a wink. "You'll need it."

"Candace, behave," Lacey said with a sigh, and made her way to the arena with Duke. The crowd went wild when the two stepped out onto the platform. Lacey smiled and sent out Kirlia.

"Everyone was practically praying for this matchup," Katya thought with a smile. "They're the most popular coordinators in Serrano. Come on, Duke. You can do this!"

"Hm, I knew you'd send out that one. You ready to meet your big brother, Kirlia?" Duke asked as he drew out a Pokeball. "Gallade, let's go!"

"What a shame," Lacey said.

"What?" He asked.

"Your Ralts evolved into a Kirlia at your last contest and you've already evolved it again? That's the trouble with Pokemon that evolve by stone. If you evolve them before they're ready, they can never reach their full potential," she said.

"Yeah, we'll just see about that! Gallade, use Leaf Blade!" He ordered. The blade on Gallade's arm glowed green and he charged forward.

"Use Teleport," Lacey said calmly. Kirlia vanished a split second before Gallade's blade was swung. She reappeared a few feet away.

"Slash!" Duke shouted. Gallade's blade glowed white now and he tried again, but Kirlia avoided it with Teleport once more.

"Lacey's toying with him," Candace said.

"It's a strategy," Tori replied. "She uses her opponent's attacks to make herself look better. It's frustrating to the opponent, but a great strategy for contest battles. It's not easy, though."

"I see," Candace said.

"I guess we'll have to hold her steady then, huh?" Duke asked. "Use Confusion – then Leaf Blade!"

Gallade raised an arm and his eyes glowed blue. Kirlia became outlined in blue and she struggled to move, but couldn't. The blade on Gallade's other arm began to glow green and he sliced her with it. She fell back and placed a hand over her wound, whimpering in pain.

"Double Team!" Lacey ordered. Kirlia multiplied and circled around Gallade.

"Destroy 'em! Use Fury Cutter!" Duke ordered.

"That move gets stronger with each hit. Once he knocks out all those clones, the real Kirlia is gonna take a lot of damage," Katya thought, smiling wickedly.

"Mmm…" Lacey said as Gallade sliced through all of the duplicates. As he neared the real one, she continued, "Confusion? How about an upgrade? Kirlia, use Psychic!"

Kirlia threw an arm forward and Gallade flew back, crashing into a wall.

"See?" Lacey said with a smile. "Evolved Pokemon don't always have more powerful attacks. My little Kirlia's Confusion has developed into the move Psychic. It's the same idea, but much more powerful."

"Who cares?" Duke snarled. "We can make do. Gallade, hold her steady with Confusion again! Then follow it up with Slash!"

Gallade nodded and used Confusion once again to restrain Kirlia. He then dashed forward and sliced across her body with both of his blades. Kirlia fell to her knees and dropped her head, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Let's finish her off with one more Slash!" Duke ordered. Gallade brought one of his blades down, but Kirlia leaped up and landed on it.

"Kirlia's quite agile. Did you really think she was going to just sit there and take a beating? Guess again. Kirlia, use Teleport!" Lacey commanded. Kirlia vanished and appeared behind Gallade. "Magical Leaf!"

"Kir!" Kirlia exclaimed as she began to twirl in place. Glowing green leaves swirled around her and then shot straight into Gallade's back before he could even glance back at her.

"Now use Double Team!" Lacey added. Kirlia multiplied and surrounded Gallade.

"You tried this already, remember?" Duke asked. "We'll just cut 'em all down!"

"How do you plan to do that when you can't even detect them? Teleport, Kirlia!"

All of the Kirlia vanished and reappeared repeatedly, never staying in the same spot for more than a second. It was completely random, so Gallade and Duke had absolutely no idea which Kirlia was real or where a Kirlia would appear next.

"Focus, Gallade," Duke urged.

"You don't have time to focus," Lacey said. "Magical Leaf!"

Glowing green leaves filled the arena, swirling and flying at random as the Kirlia continued to Teleport. Explosions set off clear throughout the arena and many of them hit Gallade, causing some major damage. After a while, Gallade dropped to his knees, so all of the Kirlia disappeared. The real Kirlia approached Gallade and used Magical Leaf once more.

"Confusion!" Duke shouted. Gallade shot one arm up, halting the leaves, and they flew back at Kirlia.

"Magical Leaf!" Lacey yelled. Kirlia shot back another attack and the two moves collided, cancelling each other out. "Psychic, now."

Kirlia used Psychic to levitate Gallade and restrain him in midair. Lacey then told her to use Magical Leaf one last time. Kirlia began to twirl and leaves swirled around her, emphasizing her elegance and beauty. She stopped, pointing an arm at Gallade. The leaves shot directly at him, and at the right moment, Kirlia rotated her arm and the leaves began to swirl around Gallade.

"Kirlia's flawless control of Magical Leaf is killing Duke's points!" Candace exclaimed.

"Finish it," Lacey said. Kirlia quickly dropped her arm and all of the leaves exploded into Gallade. He fell, limp and motionless, to the ground. Katya gasped and an entire section of fangirls in the audience began to stir, expressing their disappointment by screaming and crying.

"Return," Duke said, calling back his Gallade. "You really are worthy of your title, Lacey!"

"You're not too bad yourself," Lacey replied. "But you need to stop judging people and stop acting so arrogant."

Duke grunted and left the stage.

Next up was Tori and Randall. The two made their way to the stage and Tori sent out Beautifly as planned. Randall sent out an Umbreon.

"Beautifly, use Gust!" Tori ordered. Randall said nothing and the Umbreon braced itself as Beautifly began flapping its wings to create a powerful gust of wind. Umbreon was not blown away, however, and the only thing the move managed to do was make its ears blow around.

"That Umbreon's strong…" Lacey said and continued with a smile, "and it appears I'll have a disadvantage in the next round if he wins…This is going to be quite a challenge."

"Oh that's right," Candace said. "Psychic-types don't do well against Dark-types…Even in a contest, if Kirlia gets hit by a few Dark Pulses like the one Mismagius fired, it could be over for you two…"

"A few? I'm not sure she'd manage to stay standing after one," Lacey said, giggling, and turning back to the screen.

"Guess I'll have to try something a little stronger," Tori thought to herself. "Beautifly, attack with your Silver Wind Shield!"

Beautifly began spinning in place, flapping her wings to release Silver Wind. It swirled around her, forming an even bigger shield than usual. She then began making her way to Randall's Umbreon at great speed.

"Protect," Randall said. A blue orb surrounded Umbreon and Beautifly bounced right off, spinning out of control and into a wall, which made the shield burst.

"Try Sleep Powder," Tori commanded. Beautifly flew up and began flapping her wings, releasing a green powder.

"Quick Attack!" Randall ordered. Umbreon quickly dodged the attack, but it began to spread so he ran up the wall and leaped up above Beautifly. "Now use Toxic!"

A blast of dark green sludge shot out of Umbreon's mouth, but Beautifly barrel-rolled out of the way in time to avoid it, so it splashed all over the ground instead.

"Good job Beautifly! If that stuff touched you, it would have poisoned you!" Tori praised. "Now use Aerial Ace!"

Before Umbreon could land safely on the ground, Beautifly rammed into it and it flew back, landed clumsily, and slid back further along its own trail of toxic sludge. It came to a gradual stop and somehow managed not to fall once. Beautifly swerved around and came back to hit Umbreon again.

"Alright, just don't slip and get your face in the sludge, okay? If you can manage that, then we've got this round won," Randall said.

"Don't be so sure!" Tori exclaimed. "Beautifly, hit it again!"

"Safeguard!" Randall ordered. A green prism formed around Umbreon and Beautifly bounced off.

"What can we do?" Tori asked herself. "That's it!"

The prism faded and the clock was down to a minute and a half. Tori called her next move: String Shot. It wrapped around Umbreon's leg and she began whirling it around and around. Randall smiled and Tori gasped; Beautifly began to lose speed and came to a gradual stop. She appeared to be breathing heavily and her eyes were closed tightly. Umbreon broke free of the String Shot and landed gracefully on the stage, out of the sludge.

"Uh oh!" Emma exclaimed. "It appears that Beautifly has been poisoned!"

"HOW?" Tori demanded. "Toxic didn't even touch her!"

"Yeah, but look a little more closely," Randall said. Tori looked at the sludge on the ground and gasped. Randall continued, "Toxic is a hazardous waste the poisons those it comes in contact with, but it also releases fumes, fumes that your Beautifly has been inhaling this whole time. I'm sorry, but this match is over. Umbreon, use Giga Impact!"

Umbreon nodded and yellow energy began to emit from its body. Then a huge purple sphere formed around its body as well, and the yellow energy swirled around it. Umbreon then jumped up and hit Beautifly with such a force that she blasted out of the stadium.

"Oops…" Randall said. As Tori rushed offstage and exited the building to find Beautifly, Randall's picture appeared on scoreboard with the word 'WINNER' below it.

"Wow," Kyle said. "Just. Wow." Men quickly took to the field, wearing gas masks and protective clothing, and hosed the toxic sludge away before the next round.

Next up was Candace and Katya, as they both made it to the semi-final round.

"Ready to lose again?" Katya taunted.

"Sorry, but you don't have Duke to hide behind this time," Candace said, sending out Pachirisu.

"I don't need him to take _you_ out," Katya replied angrily, sending out Furret.

"Hm. Pachirisu?" Lacey said. "Isn't that the Pokemon who disqualified her from the Aggrestic Contest? Why would she risk using it again?"

"She knows what she's doing," Tori said, walking in with her poisoned Beautifly in her arms.

"Tori…you should have gone to the Pokemon center," Lacey scolded.

"There's Antidote in my bag…" Tori trailed off, walking over to the couch. She dug around and pulled out a spray bottle.

"But that's not the problem! She needs to see a doctor! After that Giga Impact…" Lacey trailed off. "Oh…I see. I completely forgot…"

The two looked at the screen and it was coincidentally zoomed in on Nurse Joy. She was the Hugel City's Nurse Joy so the Pokemon Center was closed for the day. Lacey and Tori tended to Beautifly's wounds, while keeping a close eye on the contest match taking place on the screen above them.

"Furret, use Quick Attack!" Katya ordered. Furret began to dash forward, but stopped suddenly, noticing that her target was nowhere to be seen.

"Fur?" Furret said, looking around.

"Furret, behind you!" Katya shrieked. Furret turned around and Pachirisu was standing there, grinning mischievously.

"Chi-pah," he said, sparks discharging from his cheeks.

"Furret use – " Katya began but was cut off:

"SUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" Pachirisu shouted as it used Discharge, leaving Furret crispy and twitching on the ground. Three red X's appeared below the judges and Candace was announced the winner.

"Wh-WHAAAAAAAAT?" Katya managed, jaw nearly to the floor. "What just happened?"

Duke was laughing hysterically back in the coordinator's lounge.

"Well…that was certainly embarrassing," Lacey said.

"Man, that sucks," Candace said, walking into the room. "I had no idea how weak that Furret was. I didn't get to show off any of Pachirisu's combinations. Pachirisu, I didn't even tell you to move, you idiot!"

"At least you won," Tori said.

"Yeah but it wasn't much of a show for the audience…oh well," Candace said with a sigh.

"Gee, Pachirisu sure is getting powerful with all that gym training," Tori said casually, but loud enough so Duke could hear. He gritted his teeth and looked away.

"It's ridiculous, really," he said as Katya entered the room and took a seat beside him.

"I'm sorry," she sniveled, assuming he had noticed her crying. He looked at her and saw that she was.

"No, I couldn't care less about that…I mean two of the remaining coordinators here are not deserving of that ribbon! If that Gym Leader wins…it would…it would be an embarrassment!"

"Watch yourself, boy," a girl's voice said. Duke looked around. It wasn't Katya, it wasn't even a voice he had heard before. Perhaps he was just hearing things, and he began to believe that he was, but then he heard it again. "You give coordinators a bad name…"

"Who said that?" he demanded and heard her giggle. He looked around and everyone was looking at him in shock. The only one who wasn't was Lacey; she was trying not to laugh.

"Said what, Duke?" Katya asked.

"It was _you_, wasn't it?" he demanded, pointing to Lacey.

"Me? Did it sound like me, Duke?" she asked, innocently.

"N-no…not really…but you know, don't you? Who said it?" he demanded.

"I haven't the slightest…" she said. "Kirlia? Did you hear anything?"

Kirlia shook her head side-to-side and pointed to the screen. Lacey looked up and smiled before leaving the room with Randall for the next round. Both coordinators appeared on stage with their Pokemon at their sides and positioned themselves on opposite ends.

"Alright, everyone! The winner of this match will determine who goes onto the final round and against Candace!" Emma announced. "Will it be Bellevue's Grand Festival Champ or Serrano's most powerful Gym Leader? I hope you're all excited as I am, folks!"

The crowd cheered and Lacey put a hand on Kirlia's head.

"Whatever the outcome of this match, it's okay, Kirlia," Lacey said. Kirlia nodded.

"Umbreon, use Toxic!" Randall ordered. Umbreon shot a line of toxic sludge at Kirlia and Lacey sighed.

"I know that strategy," Lacey said. "And even if you know mine, there's not much you can do about it. Kirlia, use Psychic!"

Kirlia began twirling with great speed, glowing blue, and the sewage swirled around with her, without touching her. She made a quick, elegant stop and thrust her arms in Umbreon's direction. The sludge splashed all over its face and it shook its head vigorously, trying to keep the stuff out of its body. Its nose turned red, however, which meant that Umbreon was now poisoned.

"Uh oh! Poisoned by its own attack? What _will_ he do now?" Emma said.

"Stand strong, Umbreon," Randall said.

"Um-bree-on!" Umbreon said with a nod.

"Kir?" Kirlia asked, looking up at her trainer.

"Not yet, Kirlia. Umbreon's too quick, wait for the poison to tire him out," Lacey whispered. "For now, we just need to avoid losing points…"

"Umbreon, use Dark Pulse!" Randall ordered. Umbreon opened his mouth and a helix of purple beams, similar to the ones Mismagius fired, shot out.

"Teleport," Lacey said. Kirlia disappeared and reappeared behind Umbreon.

"Sucker Punch!" Randall shouted. Umbreon whipped around and smacked Kirlia with its tail, which appeared to be glowing slightly with dark energy. Kirlia flew back and struggled back up, but Umbreon was right there in front of her. "Dark Pulse!"

"Protect!" Lacey ordered. Kirlia quickly threw up her arms to form a blue, protective sphere around her. Umbreon fired the Dark Pulse and it reflected off, shooting off both sides of Umbreon. Kirlia teleported and Umbreon looked around.

"Look up!" someone in the audience shouted, and so everyone did. Kirlia was levitating up above them, arms crossed, staring down at the Umbreon with glowing blue eyes.

"Kiria can fly?" Katya asked.

"You're not very bright, are you?" Candace muttered.

"It looks like Kirlia is using Psychic to levitate _herself_! Only extremely skilled Psychic Pokemon can do that!" Emma praised. Mime Jr. stood and his eyes glowed blue with Confusion.

"Mime Jr., don't," Kyle said, but it was too late; Mime Jr. blasted itself across the audience and hit a wall on the opposite end of the stadium. Surprisingly enough, this distracted Umbreon for a brief moment and Kirlia began twirling, glowing green leaves swirling around her. Umbreon looked back up and saw the leaves coming right at him. Without thinking, he dodged out of the way, but they followed and smashed right into him. The only damage taken was from Randall's points; Umbreon didn't have so much as a scratch on his body. Kirlia came back down, unable to hold Psychic any longer, and landed gracefully with a twirl.

"Use Toxic on the floor," Randall said. Umbreon shot a large glob of toxic sludge on the ground that spread.

"Use Psychic once more before you inhale too much!" Lacey ordered. Kirlia used Psychic to lift the sludge off the ground and fired it back at Umbreon. The Dark-type was prepared, however, and threw up Protect. The sludge splashed over it and splattered over the ground, spreading it even more.

"Oh no…" Lacey said, noticing Kirlia breathing a little more heavily.

"Now's your chance! Finish it off with Dark Pulse!" Randall ordered. Umbreon fired Dark Pulse and it blasted Kirlia into a wall. She slid down and hit the ground, so the judges reach for the buttons to make the red X's appear.

"Fire Punch!" Lacey said and Kirla disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"What?" was the thought going through the minds of just about everyone.

"Kir-lee-aaa," Kirlia said. She was up above still, sitting on the edge of the opening in the roof, feet dangling over the arena. She lifted a fist and it became engulfed in a large fireball, and then she jumped down.

"So when Kirlia used Teleport, she teleported to the roof and used the move Substitute to create a clone of herself…" Duke realized.

Umbreon was way too confused to do anything about the incoming Kirlia, so she hit him right in the face with Fire Punch. It did no visible damage, but it was enough to eat away the rest of Randall's points. Lacey had won.

"It was an honor to battle you, Randall," Lacey said, shaking hands with him.

"Thanks, and the same goes for you," he said and left the stage. Candace passed him in the hallway and made her way to the arena with Pachirisu on her shoulder.

"Good luck," he said with a thumbs-up.

"Thanks!" she replied and went out to position herself.

"We're down to the final round! The winner of this match will be the winner of the Hugel City Contest and the Hugel City Ribbon!" Emma announced as an image of a blue and white ribbon appeared on the screen.

"Chi!" Pachirisu said as it hopped off of Candace's shoulder.

"Ready? Begin!" Emma cheered.

"Pachirisu, use Quick Attack!" Candace ordered. Pachirisu zipped forward and raced around the arena, faster than the eye could see. Kirlia tried to sense him but he was just too fast to detect. She suddenly cried out as a gash opened up on her right shoulder. She covered it with her left hand then another appeared on her left shoulder.

"What's happening, Kirlia?" Lacey cried out as more and more cuts appeared on her Pokemon's body.

"He's using Super Fang," Candace said. The camera panned in on Kirlia to show the audience what was happening to Kirlia's body.

"Angel's move," Kyle said with a smile.

"That's incredible," Daniel said, staring intently. He glanced at the sky for a moment, before returning his eyes to the battle.

"Well then, you won't be keeping that up. Use Flash!" Lacey shouted. Kirlia lit up and blinded Pachirisu, stopping him in his tracks. She then used Psychic to send him crashing back into a wall.

"Guess I won't be using that again," Candace thought. She pondered for a moment and decided to try an idea she came up with when she was registering. It would be risky, however, because she needed Kirlia to use Teleport.

"Discharge!" she ordered.

"Protect!" Lacey shouted before the Discharge could hit.

"No good…" Candace thought. "Try Quick Attack!" she yelled.

Pachirisu raced forward, only to be thrown back again by Psychic. He tried again, this time racing around Kirlia, hoping to throw her off and then moved in with a single Super Fang attack. He slowed down for it however, so she'd see him and use Teleport. She didn't, however. She just spun out of the way. Candace tried all sorts of attacks which all failed and didn't get Lacey to order Kirlia to use Teleport. Candace's points were nearly depleted; if she lost anymore, she would surely lose the match.

"What is she doing?" Katya asked, giggling.

"Throwing the match?" Duke suggested.

"Candace…" Lacey said.

"Swift!" Candace ordered. Pachirisu swung its tail and release a flurry of star-shaped discs at Kirlia. Lacey sighed.

"Teleport…" she said.

"Gotchya," Candace said right after Lacey's command.

"What?" Lacey asked as Kirlia disappeared.

"Discharge!" Candace ordered.

As Kirlia reappeared, it was electrocuted by Pachirisu's Discharge and Candace smiled. She knew that Kirlia would have to reappear almost immediately and if she didn't know what was coming, she wouldn't have enough time to react to it. Kirlia was slightly stunned now and Candace told Pachirisu to use Thunder Wave while they had the chance. Pachirisu zapped Kirlia with some weak-looking but well-aimed electricity that completely paralyzed Kirlia. Lacey was speechless as Pachirisu fired another powerful Discharge. Kirlia fell, still unable to move, and the clock ticked down to the last five seconds.

"Quick Attack!" Candace shouted. Pachirisu darted forward and hit Kirlia right in the stomach, knocking her over. There were two seconds left, Lacey still had a significant lead in points, but Kirlia was no longer able to battle. Everyone was silent with shock.

"_Now_ you have my attention," Lacey said with a big smile as she called Kirlia back to its ball.

"Wh-what just happened?" Katya whined.

"She…won…" Duke said.

"Well then…give it up for Candace!" Emma encouraged. The crowd went wild and Pachirisu tackled his trainer.

"Chi-pah! CHI-PAH SUUUU!" Pachirisu exclaimed as he electrocuted his trainer on national television and fled the building. Candace ignored him and went over to accept her ribbon, her hair sparking. Not sparkling. Sparking. When it was all over and done with and the trainers were leaving the building, they were stopped by Duke.

"Not interested in anything you have to say…" Candace said. "It's late. I'm tired. I want to get back to my comfy bed in my comfy hotel room."

"I'm not here to pick a fight," he said.

"Oh? Well just so you know…I know I got lucky tonight," she said.

"Yeah…but anyway, I just wanted to let you guys know that there's a contest in Rioja in a few days," he said.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah…I just thought you should know," he said coldly. "Have a nice night."

"We're not going back to Rioja…" Kyle said after Duke had left. "We're going to Amess Town first thing in the morning! I want my next Gym badge!"

"There's no Gym in Amess, squirt," Candace muttered.

"And there isn't one in the town after that either," Daniel said.

"Even more reason to hit the road ASAP!" Kyle exclaimed. "Gotta get past those boring towns to one with a Gym!"

"You're just tired…we'll talk about it in the morning," Candace said, and they went back to the hotel.

As the others were getting ready for bed, Daniel stepped onto the balcony, scanning the sky again. Skarmory swooped out of the darkness, perching on the railing. "You see that move Pachirisu pulled, buddy?" Daniel asked, rubbing his Flying-type's head. Skarmory chirruped. "Me neither. I couldn't even see the blurs that fast Pokemon normally leave behind. I mean, you're one of the fastest Pokemon I've ever seen, but I can still usually trace your movements." The Steel Bird Pokemon squawked and ruffled his feathers indignantly, and Daniel grinned. "Not to imply that you're slow. I just know how you move. Either way…" he looked back into the hotel room, then back at Skarmory. "That's something to watch out for, and either duplicate it or figure out a way to counter it." Skarmory nodded and hopped off the railing, talons clacking on the tile floor of the balcony.

They hit the sack, sleeping soundly. Candace was the first to wake up in the morning, but the others woke up shortly afterwards. Candace was out on the balcony.

"See? The port's closed anyway! It's too foggy for the ships to sail, not to mention dark and cloudy. I think we should rent some Dodrio and go back to Rioja for the contest," Candace reasoned, leaning over the balcony and gazing at the ferry that transported people from Hugel to Amess Town.

"I guess we don't have a choice then," Daniel said. "Back to Rioja!"

"Yes!" Candace and Kyle cheered.

Daniel looked at Kyle, confused. "Why are _you_ cheering? You wanted to go on, not go back."

"I want to ride a Dodrio!" Kyle exclaimed. Candace laughed and glanced to her left. She noticed that a girl from the room next to theirs was on her balcony too. She ran her fingers through her dark purple hair and then reached for an orange lily hairpin on the stool next to her. She tied her hair up into a bun and added the hairpin as more of an accessory than to hold the hair in place. She pushed up her glasses slightly and smoothed out her black, medium-length dress. She looked to be about fifteen or sixteen, but certainly mature for her age. She too was staring off into the direction of the port, a worried expression upon her face. She noticed Candace staring at her and frowned.

"There's a strange ship in the harbor," she said.

"Really?" Candace asked and looked back to the port.

"I was raised here, and I don't recognize that ship…that means it's probably not permitted to be here," the girl said.

"Want us to go check it out?" Daniel asked, walking up from behind Candace.

"You can if you want. That's where I'm going…" she trailed off. "Come along, my old friend."

Candace blinked, confused, and looked at Daniel as if to say "Who is she talking to?" He shrugged and they both returned to their hotel room.

"Let's go," Candace said, walking to her shoes and slipping them on.

"Where?" Kyle asked.

"To go check out a suspicious boat in the harbor," Daniel answered.

"PIRATES?" Kyle exclaimed, excitedly.

"I doubt it," Daniel said. "Not the kind you're thinking of anyway…"

"Team Jurassic?" Tori suggested.

"That's more likely," Daniel said, tying his boots. Candace brushed through her hair and looked at her reflection in the mirror.

"Ready?" she asked, confidently. The others nodded and they got going. The girl was waiting for them in the hallway and she smiled slightly. The five headed towards the port, but when they got there, the mysterious ship had already set sail, but hadn't gotten far and was still in sight.

"That ship definitely doesn't belong here," the girl said, but if they boat through this weather, they're going to get lost or, even worse, crash."

"Lapras, come on out!" Tori called, tossing her Pokeball over the water. Lapras popped out, already floating on the water's surface. The five mounted her back and Tori continued, "Follow that ship!"

"Lahhh!" Lapras said with a nod, and swam quickly, but silently behind the ship. The fog was thin enough to catch a glimpse of Raptor's Mohawk as they neared the mysterious ship. Candace gasped, but Daniel covered her mouth in time to silence it.

"SH!" he said, his eyes narrowing.

"Those people are criminals," Kyle whispered to the girl with purple hair. She frowned and her light blue eyes seemed grey now.

"Then they must be up to no good if they're risking their lives traveling in this weather. Have you encountered these people before?" the girl asked.

"More than once," Daniel replied. "They hi-jacked a train we were traveling on and they tried to steal Candace's –"

"This is Team Jurassic?" she asked, cutting him off.

"You know of them?" Candace asked.

"I've heard reports of a group of criminals who are just now starting to make themselves known. They call themselves Team Jurassic. I heard about the underground train situation…you must be the four trainers that saved the hostages."

"Yeah, that would be us," Daniel said with a grin.

"Then I'm glad you're accompanying me. I'd much rather be up against such criminals with trainers who know what they're doing…" the girl said.

"Know what we're doing?" Daniel said. "Hell, we sorta make things up as we go along."

Raptor appeared to be giving orders to a group of five grunts. These grunts saluted and dispersed into different directions.

"My name is Julia by the way," the girl said. The four trainers introduced themselves as well.

"The fog is getting pretty thick," Candace said after a few minutes. It was getting harder and harder to see the boat that they were following. Eventually, Lapras couldn't see at all and had to stop.

"Can you see them?" Julia asked. A pair of glaring, red eyes appeared, floating above Lapras' head. Everyone but Julia screamed and about fell off Lapras, and Mime Jr. _did_ fall off Lapras, splashing into the water.

"Geh!" a voice said and they eyes disappeared. Julia nodded. Using Confusion, Mime Jr. cleared the fog above Lapras' head, but nothing was there.

"Excuse me!" Daniel said.

"Hm?" Julia said, cocking her head innocently.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Gengar?" she asked, cocking her head the other way. A purple Pokemon appeared on top of Lapras' head, snickering. Kyle pointed his Dex at it.

"Gengar, the Gas Pokemon: Gengar enjoys hiding in the shadows and cursing people at the right moment. This Pokemon has the ability to steal heat from its surroundings and can cause sudden chills when in the area," the Dex informed.

"Where did _that_ come from?" Candace shouted.

"SH!" everyone hushed.

"Gengar can choose whether or not to be seen by others. He's probably been out of his Pokeball the whole time. That explains why Julia appeared to be taking to herself earlier," Daniel explained. Julia nodded. "I can usually tell when a Gengar is present because of the sudden decrease in temperature by ten degrees, but I had no idea it was here…it must be pretty skilled."

"Or you're just not as good as you think you are," Julia teased.

"Very funny," he deadpanned.

"GENGAR!" said Pokemon exclaimed, stomping its foot. Lapras began swimming again as quickly as she could, so she could catch up to the boat. He stomped once more to signal that they were about to crash into the boat, so she slowed and Gengar disappeared again.

"Does anyone know where the hell Bronty went?" Raptor demanded.

"I don't know. Does it really matter right now?" Ptera snapped. "Get your happy self moving and do your job. _Bronty_ has already taken care of _his_, so he can relax, but _you _can't!"

"Bitch…" Raptor muttered.

"I heard that!" she exclaimed.

"GOOD!" he shouted and went back inside, slamming a door. He was gone for a few minutes and announced his return with another slam of a door and he was carrying something, but it was too foggy to see what it was.

"Genga!" Gengar said, re-appearing and turning towards his trainer.

"Are you sure, Gengar?" Julia asked. The Ghost Pokemon nodded. "So _they're_ the ones responsible for…" Gengar nodded again, and Julia gave a quiet "hm."

"Responsible for what?" Candace asked. Julia said nothing, looking forward towards the ship. Candace and the others squinted when given no reply, hoping to see for themselves. Mime Jr. used Confusion to clear some of the fog so they could see what was going on. There was a large piece of machinery on the deck of the ship; it somewhat resembled a dead crab, lying on its back with its legs sticking up and slightly curled. There was a computer screen and many buttons and controls at the base of the machine. The "legs" were holding a round, pink object.

"It looks like a pearl," Tori said. "What is it?"

"That's…" Kyle trailed off.

"Yup!" Daniel said.

"Am I missing something?" Candace asked.

"Stop talking!" Julia snapped. The trainers hushed up, but Tori and Candace were obviously clueless. Ptera was standing in front of the machine, pushing buttons. A woman walked out onto the deck and grabbed Ptera's hand. She was short and plump with blue hair, pulled back into pig tails. She had green eyes and dimples, and she also had the red mark on her uniform like Raptor and Ptera's. She had a leg of meat in her other hand and barbecue sauce all over her face.

"You're disgusting…" Ptera said, pulling her hand away, and continued what she was doing.

"I've got a bone to pick with you, Ptera! You never returned my Bastiodon to me!" the woman said.

"Yes I did! You just can't remember anything except for what you ate today!" Ptera shouted. "You probably ate _the Pokeball_!"

"Knock it off you two. Steggy, here, you left this at headquarters," Raptor said, handing the blue-haired woman a Pokeball.

"There you are!" Steggy said, taking the Pokeball and smearing barbeque sauce all over it.

"So are we nearing the right coordinates yet?" Raptor asked with a slight wince.

"I estimate that we'll be at the right spot in approximately ten minutes," Ptera reported.

"Excellent," Raptor said.

"Any sign of the fuzz?" Steggy asked.

"In this fog? There's no way _anyone_ could have tracked us here," Raptor said.

"Don't be careless," Ptera muttered, half-paying attention.

"What's that?" Raptor barked. "_You_ wanna tell _me _about being careless?"

"Yes, actually, I do," Ptera snapped, turning around to face her teammate. "I'm not the one who lost an entire train full of _civilians_!"

"Are you still going on about that?" he growled.

"Yes, and I will continue to bring it up until the boss stops bringing it up," she said and turned around to continue what she was doing.

"Should we do something?" Kyle whispered.

"No, just watch. Watch and be quiet," Julia said. The others nodded and looked forward.

"…So where is that psychopath anyway?" Steggy asked, hoping to lighten the tension.

"Bronty? Who knows. He probably tied up a grunt somewhere and is chopping him to little pieces right now," Raptor grumbled.

"Why don't you go check on him, Raptor?" Ptera asked, watching the screen closely.

"_Me_? Are you insane?" he asked. "I'm not going anywhere near him unless he's had his happy pills and I'm wearing body armor."

"Meh…don't worry about it, we're nearing our destination here pretty soon," Ptera said as something on her screen began to flash and beep.

"Steggy, go inside. If you fall overboard, you'll sink," Raptor said.

"Not funny," she said and went inside with all of the grunts on the deck.

"Can you take care of it yourself?" Raptor asked. Ptera turned and winked, so he followed Steggy and the others, grumbling. The boat came to a gradual stop and Ptera began punching codes into the computer and the pink orb began to glow. The sky suddenly grew darker and more cloudy as Ptera punched in a final string of numbers. At the first boom of thunder, she rushed into the cabin with the rest of the team.

"I don't like the looks of this," Julia said as the black clouds began swirling together and rain began pouring heavily. Thunder and lightning boomed louder and the Pokemon began to behave strangely; as if they knew what was happening and it wasn't good. The waves grew rougher and everyone clung to Lapras tightly to keep from falling into the water. As the wind picked up and blew violently, the trainers looked up and saw something that could only be described as a black hole. It grew bigger and bigger, as did the waves.

Candace scooped Eevee up with one arm and held her tightly, using the other hand to keep a good grip on Lapras.

Kyle did the same for Mime Jr. and Gengar appeared on Julia's left shoulder, ready to protect his trainer at all cost.

Daniel wrapped one arm around Tori's waist, curling his fingers around Lapras's shell and flattening himself against it.

The black hole pulled them in, but Lapras resisted desperately, swimming in the opposite direction at full speed. The Team Jurassic boat was sucked in, giving Lapras even more motivation to keep away from it. The waves were too powerful and Lapras began to struggle. Waves crashed against her, but she wouldn't give up, even as they grew in size. Suddenly, a massive wave swept over them, washing them all away.


	27. CH 27 Ancient Island

**Chapter 27: Ancient Island**

Mime Jr. opened his eyes and the sun was shining brightly. A cool wave splashed over his face and he stood up, brushing the sand off himself. He was on a beach somewhere, and his friends were nowhere to be found. He didn't understand how he gotten there and thought for a minute. He had a flashback of the storm and the wave that had just about drowned them. Had he been the only one to survive? Panicked, he raced down the beach as fast as he could, hoping to find one of his friends, but he tripped and fell face first into the wet sand. He stood up without bothering to clean himself off and kept going. The beach began to curve around and as soon as he hit the curve, he just about ran into Julia. She was strolling along the beach with Gengar, and knelt down, smiling at the Mime Pokemon. Panting from exhaustion, he collapsed into her arms and she carried him along with her.

"Eevee, you okay?" Daniel asked, rolling onto his back and brushing the sand from his face. He was on another area of the beach and Eevee was lying down next to him.

"Ee!" she said with a nod and looked around for her trainer, but a worried expression soon fell upon her face because she couldn't find Candace.

"Don't worry," Daniel reassured her, resisting the urge to dry-heave onto the sand. "We'll find her, I promise. Skarmory, go look for the others," he said, tossing up Skarmory's Pokeball. The Armor Bird Pokemon stretched his wings and flew away. Daniel turned around and gazed at his surroundings. The beach led into some sort of jungle filled with all sorts of exotic-looking plants, mostly different species of ferns, large-leafed palm trees, thorny bushes, and many others. He had never seen vegetation like this before, except for in books. He remembered seeing one of them somewhere; it was a short, fat palm tree or bush with bright, spiky fruits hanging from its branches. The strange thing was that he had seen it in a book about ancient Pokemon that had gone extinct, so how could they possibly exist?

"Skar!" Skarmory chirped. Daniel looked to his left and Skarmory was gliding, slowly, with Kyle, Julia, Tori, and Mime Jr. trailing behind him.

"Did you find Candace?" he asked. Skarmory nodded and flew passed him, so everyone followed. Candace was sprawled out on the ground, sleeping, when they found her. There was something sleeping on her face too. It looked kind of like a snail because it had a big yellow shell, but it also had a blue body sticking out of it. Kyle pointed his Pokedex at it.

"Omanyte, the Spiral Pokemon: This Pokemon swam the ancient seas, navigating itself by adeptly twisting its ten tentacles. It used the air stored in its shell to sink and rise in the water," the 'Dex informed.

"Did we go back in time?" Daniel asked.

"Indeed…everything on this island should have gone extinct millions of years ago, but we couldn't have gone back in time. It isn't possible," Julia replied. Eevee jumped onto Candace's stomach and woke her up. Candace sat up and pried the Omanyte from her face. It made a wet 'schlorp' as it popped off and she set it down, looked around, and then looked at the others.

"Where the hell are we?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. This place isn't on the map," Daniel said, looking at his map.

"Is it this island right here?" Kyle asked, pointing to a large island at the top right.

"No, that territory is nowhere near where we are now," Daniel said. "We're…here," he pointed to an empty space on the map. "Which makes no sense whatsoever."

"Where are you going, Julia?" Candace asked. The dark purple-haired girl was making her way towards the jungle.

"I want to find out about this place," she said. "It's possible that we _have _gone back and time and this island was never documented because the sea level rose above it before the arrival of humans. In case this is truly what has happened, don't touch _anything_. It could seriously alter the future."

"Understood," the four trainers said and followed her through the trees.

"Any sign of Team Jurassic?" Candace asked. Daniel looked at Skarmory and it nodded.

"Where?" he asked and Skarmory pointed its wing in the direction they were walking. "West, huh?" he asked and Skarmory nodded. They continued walking for some time.

Daniel held up a hand, fist clenched, and the group stopped immediately. He made a 'come here' motion with two fingers, and they gathered.

"There's a camp up ahead," he whispered. "Didn't hear anything, but whoever's there could just be asleep."

"You want to check it out?" Kyle asked nervously. Daniel nodded. "How?"

Daniel thought for a moment, before turning to Julia. "Just how sneaky is Gengar?" In response, Gengar phased into view right behind Daniel and put its hands over his eyes. Candace grinned.

Gently lifting the Ghost-type's hands off his face, Daniel spoke to the Pokemon. "Can you check out who's in the camp, if anyone?" Gengar vanished, and Daniel grinned. "Cool." A few moments later, Gengar popped back into view and whispered quietly to Julia, who smiled.

"There's one guard in the camp. And he's asleep," she reported.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Tori asked quietly. "Let's get moving!"

Moving as silently as possible, the five entered the camp, poking around. They spotted a large cargo crate in the center of the camp and made a Combee-line for it. Running his hands over the surface, Daniel flipped open a panel to reveal an electronic lock.

"Can you open it?" Candace asked.

Daniel looked at it for a moment and shook his head. "I'm a Pokemon trainer, not a safecracker," he said regretfully. "I can pick mechanical locks, but this is beyond my skills."

"Well, think of it this way," Julia offered. "The lock opens by electrical impulses."

"What?" Kyle asked.

"Zap the sucker and see what happens," Candace clarified as she sent out Pachirisu.

Three seconds and one electrical supercharge later, the smoldering lock beeped faintly and opened. Heaving open the lid, the group looked into the crate.

"What do we have?" Candace asked.

"Laptops," Daniel said, lifting out a stack of portable computers.

"Some sort of other equipment," Tori added, pulling out odd-looking devices.

"Detection equipment," Julia noted as she hefted out a box, looking inside. "Radios."

"Packed lunches," Kyle said, setting the box down, before giving it a sidelong glance and stuffing some into his pack, spreading the rest among the others.

"Anything else?" Candace asked, examining one of the laptops.

"Yeah," Daniel said heavily. "And it's a doozy." He lifted a large, perfectly spherical orb from the crate.

"Is that what I think it is?" Kyle asked.

"Yes," Daniel said. "It's the Lustrous Orb."

"We are in so much trouble," Candace breathed.

"Understatement of the year, kiddies," a voice growled from behind them. Everyone spun, finding a burly man standing behind them.

"So much for asleep," Kyle hissed.

"Jeez, talk about getting caught with your hands in the cookie jar," Candace muttered.

"Hand it over," the man said, "and you won't get hurt…too badly."

"Sure," Daniel said brightly, heaving the Orb at him. "Catch!"

Surprised, the man barely caught it, not realizing Daniel had run along behind the flying object. Poking the man in the eyes, Daniel snatched the Orb back and tossed it to Candace.

"Run!" he shouted as the man furiously rubbed his eyes. The others bolted, but Daniel went down hard as the man tripped him, the air whooshing out of his lungs. The man picked up a heavy piece of equipment.

"Say goodnight, kid," He said, hefting it over Daniel's head. There was a buzzing sound, and the man collapsed, dropping the would-be murder weapon. Daniel rolled to one side, letting the equipment hit the ground with a wet thump. Looking for his rescuer, Daniel spotted Pachirisu sitting on the downed man's head, grooming his tail.

"Thanks for the save, Pachi," Daniel said, unwrapping a candy bar and holding it out to the Electric-type. Pachirisu sniffed it, grabbed it, and scurried onto Daniel's back, holding onto his jacket with one paw and stuffing his prize into his mouth with the other as Daniel set off after his friends.

Catching up with the others in a clearing, Daniel sat down, breathing heavily.

"You okay?" Candace asked, tossing him a bottle of water.

Popping the cap off, Daniel drained it and stuck the litter in his pack before answering. "Had a close call, but Pachirisu saved me."

"Pachirisu?" Kyle asked disbelievingly.

"Chi-pah," Pachirisu said, grinning with a ring of chocolate around his mouth.

"So, you still got the Orb?" Daniel asked. Candace nodded and held it out to him. Taking it gently, Daniel examined it, wiping a bit of dirt off the surface. "Gorgeous," he whispered. "This thing belongs back in the museum they stole it from."

"Well, as soon as we get off this island, we can-" Kyle broke off as Daniel's head snapped up. "What's wrong?"

"Move. Now!" Daniel hissed. Grabbing their packs, everyone jumped into the bushes, moments before a group of men passed through the clearing.

"…How?" Candace whispered to Daniel. He held a finger to his lips, before tapping his nose and winking at her. Looking at the group, Candace spotted one of the men smoking. She glanced back at Daniel, but he was gone. Looking around for him, Candace spotted the boy moving into the clump of bushes that she had seen Julia, Kyle, and Tori disappear into.

A bush rustled, and one of the men jumped. "This place gives me the creeps," he muttered, before moving on. The group emerged, staying close to cover.

"Sir!" someone shouted all of a sudden. The five trainers ducked down and peered through a group of bushes. Raptor and a grunt were standing out in the open, and the grunt was saluting.

"Have you captured all of the ancient Pokemon on this island?" Raptor asked.

"We have captured over three hundred, as well those Pokemon for the boss," the grunt reported.

"Excellent," Raptor said. "Keep scouting for Pokemon and the commanders will find what we came here for."

"Yes sir!" the grunt said and disappeared into the jungle.

"Are they building an army?" Candace wondered to herself. Raptor disappeared as well, so the trainers kept moving. They eventually came across a clearing with some sort of ancient monument that had collapsed. There were two statues in front of it that were completely intact, however. There was something about it that demanded respect, as if it were a shrine of some sort. Kyle, Daniel, and Candace slowly kept moving, gazing at the magnificent sight, but Julia stayed behind, and so they stopped to wait for her.

"Dialga, the guardian of Time. Palkia, the guardian of Space," she said out loud to herself, admiring the two statues. She gently ran her hand along the Dialga statue, as she passed by it and worked her way to the broken monument. She knelt down in front of a large tablet with ancient text carved into it.

"I wonder what it says," Kyle said, kneeling down next to her. The others stood silently behind them.

"It says," Julia began, "If the guardians fall to the hand of greed, the destruction of our world will begin and everything we know will cease to exist…In order to maintain the fabric of time and space, the guardians barricaded themselves from our world with the power of the mighty Palkia…and…that's all I can make out. The rest is either too complex or too damaged to read."

"You can read ancient writing?" Candace asked. Julia smiled and glanced at another tablet, which was covered in moss. She wiped the moss away and tried to read over it.

"This one says…something about Dialga wanting to preserve the ancient Pokemon, and that Palkia, created this island for these fossil Pokemon. This appears to have all been constructed by some ancient tribe. Oh I can kind of make this part out: 'We settled here until Dialga…decided to make it his home…now we…leave…and Dialga barricades itself…with…help of Palkia,'" Julia said, struggling and squinting to read it.

"Well Palkia obviously did a bad job 'barricading' because here we are!" Candace said.

"Well at least we know that we didn't go back in time, we just ended up in a place _frozen_ in time," Kyle said.

"We shouldn't be here," Julia said. "And neither should Team Jurassic. We have to force them off this island before we anger the guardians. Dialga probably senses our presence already. It's only a matter of time before he appears to punish us."

"Yeah, I don't think that getting on a Legendary Pokemon's bad side would be a very good idea," Daniel said. Just then, something exploded in the distance.

"What was that?" Tori asked.

"Someone getting on a Legendary Pokemon's bad side, I'd say," Daniel muttered. "Must be where Team Jurassic is. Let's get moving!"

They took off in the direction of the explosion. On their way, Candace tripped over something. She sat up and glared at the cause.

"Oh, it's you. Again," she said. The Omanyte just stared at her.

"Come on!" Kyle shouted.

"Wait, we can't just leave him here! Team Jurassic will capture him," Candace said.

"Then you get to carry it," Daniel said. Candace picked up the Omanyte and put it in her hood. Eevee, who was sitting on her shoulder, pretended to ignore the thing. Candace smiled and took off to catch up with the others. It wasn't long before they reached a clearing; all of the trees in the area were chopped down and pulled off to the side. Pokemon were netted and caged everywhere and the place was swarming with grunts.

"Keep chopping down the jungle! We can't leave a single Pokemon behind!" a grunt ordered.

"This way," Kyle whispered. The trainers got down on their hands and knees and snuck around the clearing without being seen.

"Aren't we going to stop the grunts?" Tori asked.

"If we cause a commotion, we may not be able to sneak up on the commanders, and they're the ones going through with the largest part of the plan, I'm assuming. We should go see what they're up to first," Candace explained.

"Well we don't even know where they are…" Tori said.

"RRROOOOAAAAAHHH!" something roared in the distance.

"Found em!" Daniel said.

"The weather's getting stormy again," Kyle said. The sky was darkening and the dark grey clouds drifted together, but there was no rain, thunder, or lightning. The trainers arrived at some sort of temple and they immediately ducked down because four commanders were there: Raptor and Rampardos, Ptera and Aerodactyl, Steggy and Bastiodon, and a fourth commander with a Cradily. He was certainly the tallest member on the team, about seven foot two, but he had a terrible slouch. He was also incredibly skinny, clearly from lack of nourishment and his skin was abnormally pale, as if he was kept in some dark, dark place his entire life. His straight, slate grey hair fell to his shoulders and his long, side-swept bangs dropped down below his eyes.

The four commanders appeared to be in mid-battle with a massive Pokemon that resembled a brontosaurus and had a hide that appeared to be as hard as diamonds. As it roared at the intruders, rocks lifted off the ground and were flung at the intruders' Pokemon. The trainers were speechless and in awe of the legendary Dialga. Bastiodon charged towards the rocks and they smashed into his large shield-like head. He shook it off and roared.

"Hyper Beam!" the commanders ordered. All four of the ancient Pokemon fired a Hyper Beam at the legendary Pokemon. All four hit and Dialga roared out in pain.

"STOP IT!" Julia screamed. "LEAVE DIALGA ALONE!"

"We appear to have guests," the unknown commander said with a creepy grin.

"Hmph, I knew we'd be followed," Steggy said, crossing her arms.

"Aerodactyl, give our dear friends a little taste of your Hyper Beam!" Ptera ordered. Aerodactyl fired a Hyper Beam at Julia, but Gengar appeared in front of her to shield her from the attack.

"Geng…" he said, falling to one knee when the blast had finished.

"Gengar!" Julia said.

"Croconaw, come on out and use Water Gun!" Daniel ordered. Croconaw popped out and shot a Water Gun at Aerodactyl who barrel-rolled out of the way.

"Is he okay?" Candace asked, taking a knee beside Julia and Gengar. "I thought Normal attacks didn't affect Ghost-types."

"Yes, because it normally goes right through them. But Gengar made his body solid to protect me. You are a true friend, Gengar," Julia said. Gengar struggled to his feet and turned back to grin at his partner. Candace stood too and Eevee took position in front of her. Mime Jr. scurried out in front of Kyle as well and Tori sent out Flaaffy.

"And just what do you five expect to accomplish?" Raptor sneered. The trainers responded with commands: a Shadow Ball from Gengar, another Water Gun from Croconaw, a Shadow Ball from Eevee, Discharge from Flaaffy, and Mime Jr. launched a dead tree at Aerodactyl with Confusion. All of the commanders' Pokemon dodged the attacks and Ptera sighed.

"We don't have time for this," she said turning, to Dialga.

"Candace!" Kyle exclaimed.

"What?" she asked and he whispered something in her ear and she smiled, kneeling down to whisper into Eevee's ear. Eevee nodded and dug underground.

"What are they up to?" the unknown commander wondered out loud with a terrifying grin. Kyle was whispering to Daniel and Tori now.

"And where'd that Croconaw go?" Steggy asked.

"Are you two really worried about…what's that sound?" Ptera asked. There was a rumbling sound coming from beneath them that was growing louder and louder. All of a sudden, Eevee after Eevee began popping out of the ground all around the commanders, firing Shadow Balls in all directions.

"How inconvenient," Raptor muttered as the commanders' Pokemon were pelted with Shadow Balls.

"Keep it up, Mime Jr.," Kyle said. Mime Jr. had his arms raised and was keeping all of the Eevee suspended with Confusion, doing his best to guide them out of the way of incoming attacks. Kyle looked to Daniel and nodded.

"Croconaw!" Daniel called out and the ground began to rumble again.

"OH WHAT NOW?" Raptor demanded and several moments later, geysers of water were spewing out of the holes that all of the Eevee duplicates created when they popped out of the ground, drenching the commanders and their Pokemon. Steggy, who had been standing a little too close to one of the holes, was blasted away by one of these geysers. The commanders were so focused on all of this chaos that it allowed Flaaffy to attack, so she hit all the commanders and their Pokemon with Discharge.

"ALRIGHT THAT'S QUITE ENOUGH!" Ptera shouted in anger.

"Ptera's pissed, guys," Steggy said, hiding behind Raptor.

"How delightful," the fourth commander snickered.

"Shut your damn mouth, Bronty," Ptera hissed. "Aerodactyl, take them _all_ out _now_!"

"Oh, but I would like to watch them squirm for a bit first," Bronty began.

"I SAID SHUT IT!" Ptera yelled.

"Um…Ptera?" Steggy said timidly.

"WHAT?" the other female commander demanded.

"W-where's Dialga?" Steggy asked. The commanders looked around. Dialga had apparently taken advantage of the trainer's distraction and was making his way back to the temple. Steggy took off after it and Ptera smacked herself in the forehead. Candace decided to chase after Steggy and Dialga so Daniel sighed.

"I was afraid of this. We might have to split up," he said, turning to join Candace.

"Damn right you will!" Raptor exclaimed as his Rampardos rammed into Croconaw, blasting it into the forest somewhere. Daniel gritted his teeth and ran into the forest after his Pokemon with Raptor and Rampardos in close pursuit. Ptera, Bronty, Kyle, Tori, and Julia remained.

"You two have to get out of here!" Kyle exclaimed.

"But Kyle!" Tori began, but he interrupted her.

"Just go! I almost have a full team and they're all very strong! I can take both of these two at once! You two run and hide," Kyle ordered. Tori frowned, but called Flaaffy back to her ball. Then the two girls nodded and disappeared into the forest.

"How noble of you, boy," Ptera said. "But I've got a bone to pick with the blond."

"No, your battle is with me! Stay here!" Kyle shouted.

"What, and clean up the mess Bronty's going to make with you?" Ptera asked, mounting Aerodactyl. "I think I'll pass. Good luck though. Looks like you've drawn the short straw, squirt."

"It's just you and me now, kid," Bronty said with an evil look in his eyes as Aerodactyl flapped away.

"Yeah," Kyle said, sending out all of his Pokemon. Bronty's Cradily snickered.

"Ingrain," Bronty ordered. Roots extended from Cradily's feet and burrowed into the ground, immobilizing it.

"Why would you do that?" Kyle questioned. "Now it can't dodge!"

"Maybe so. Cradily isn't very quick on its feet in the first place, however. And this also means that your little Psychic Pokemon can't throw Cradily around. But most importantly, you do know what this means, don't you?" Bronty asked.

"I don't really care," Kyle snapped. "Aron, use Metal Claw!"

Aron ran forward and cut into Cradily with his razor-sharp claws. Bronty smiled sadistically as if he enjoyed seeing his Pokemon hurt. Kyle noticed this and asked Bronty if it pleased him. Bronty responded with a nod and Kyle gasped.

"Besides, it doesn't matter anyway," Bronty said with a chuckle.

"And why is that?" Kyle asked angrily.

"As I was saying before, don't you know what Ingrain does?" Bronty replied. Before Kyle could say anything, Cradily's roots began to glow green and it was completely healed. Bronty snickered.

"Donphan, use Rollout! We need to take him down quickly before he can regain health!" Kyle ordered. Donphan nodded and rolled forward, but as he neared Cradily, Bronty smiled. Donphan bounced up, still spinning, and tried to hit Cradily head-on, but Cradily's neck snaked around Donphan's body. Donphan kept flying forward and crashed into the ground.

"Do you realize what a bad situation you're in? Cradily is flexible, very flexible. And even if you do manage to inflict some damage, it won't do much. He's gone through extreme defense training, so he won't be easy to 'take down,' especially in only five minutes – your time limit before Ingrain kicks in and restores all his health," Bronty explained. "Maybe you shouldn't have sent your little girlfriends away. Whatchya gonna do now, kid?"

"We're gonna give it everything we've got!" Kyle exclaimed confidently.

"I do love chipping away at people's self-esteem…I'll tell you what. In four minutes or so, Ingrain kicks in. We won't fight back until it does, we'll just dodge. How does that sound?" Bronty proposed with a malicious grin.

"Like you're pretty stupid!" Kyle shot back. "My Pokemon are strong!"

"Then show me," Bronty grunted.

"Pikachu, use Thunder!" Kyle ordered, gritting his teeth. The Cradily didn't move as a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky and struck the Barnacle Pokemon. Cradily cocked its head as if to say, "Aw, you can do better than that."

"Teddiii," Teddiursa said, tugging at Kyle's left pant leg.

"Focus Punch!" Kyle said, giving Teddiursa a nod. Teddiursa's right paw began to glow as he rushed forward toward Cradily. He swung it, but Cradily stretched its neck back, allowing its head to touch the ground, and then it paused for a brief moment before snapping back up and knocking Teddiursa back with its forehead.

"Now, now, Cradily. Calm down, we still have quite a bit of time left before you can play too," Bronty said. Kyle gritted his teeth again and began to shout out attack after attack: Mime Jr. raised his arms to restrain Cradily with Confusion as Pikachu slammed it with Iron Tail and Teddiursa clocked it with Focus Punch. Aron and Donphan followed it up by hitting it, one after another, with Take Down. Mime Jr. continued to hold Confusion as the other four continued to attack; Pikachu hit it with Volt Tackle a few times, Teddiursa slashed away at it with Fury Swipes, Aron joined Teddiursa with Metal Claw, and Donphan slammed into it again and again with Rollout.

"Keep it up guys! He's losing strength! See? Bad idea, Bronty or whatever your name is; Cradily's looking like it's about to collapse!" Kyle exclaimed.

"Oh? Is it?" Bronty said with a sneer. Kyle glanced at Cradily and noticed that the Ingrain roots were glowing. "Time's up, little one! Cradily, use Acid!"

Cradily, who was now completely healed, opened its mouth and shot out a glob of purple sludge that all of Kyle's Pokemon scrambled around to dodge. It splashed across the ground and Kyle gasped, but reacted quickly by ordering Mime Jr. to hold up a Barrier around it so that the fumes wouldn't poison them. Mime Jr. nodded and threw up a blue barrier around the toxic acid on the ground. Just to be safe, Bronty ordered Cradily to make a few more puddles, so Mime Jr. had to create more barriers.

"Mime Jr. can you still attack?" Kyle asked.

"It looks like his hands are a little full at the moment. What ever will you do now that your precious little Psychic Pokemon is out of commission?" Bronty mocked. "Are you feeling discouraged yet?"

"Never!" Kyle exclaimed. "Donphan, use Dig!"

Donphan nodded and burrowed into the ground. Aron stared blankly at Kyle until the trainer nodded, so it dug underground as well.

"I'm excited to see your plan unfold!" Bronty said excitedly. The tone of his voice gave Kyle chills, but he shook himself and kept his focus on the battle.

"Pikachu, in the hole!" he ordered. Pikachu bounced into one of the holes that the other two had created. Then Kyle knelt beside Teddiursa and told him to use Rest, so the Little Bear Pokemon closed its eyes and fell asleep. Kyle then ordered his next move: Snore. Teddiursa began to growl quietly and it grew louder until he was making some loud, horrible sound that made everyone in the area cringe.

"Miime," Mime Jr. grunted, struggling to hold up the barriers.

"Hang in there, Mime Jr.," Kyle encouraged.

"Yes, don't worry. It'll all be over soon, little one. Cradily, use Hyper Beam!" Bronty commanded. Cradily managed to get ahold of itself and opened its mouth to fire a bright, powerful beam of energy.

"No!" Kyle shouted as it headed directly for Teddiursa and the Little Bear Pokemon disappeared into the brightness. When it faded, Teddiursa was gone.

"I see. What quick-thinking Pokemon you have," Bronty said, but Kyle seemed confused, so Bronty continued, "Hyper Beam is strong, but I doubt it would completely annihilate a Pokemon. Besides, don't you see that hole there that hadn't been there before?"

"Huh?" Kyle asked, looking to where Teddiursa had been and there was in fact a hole there. Before it could register in his mind what had happened, Donphan popped out of the ground with Teddiursa on its back. Kyle picked up the Little Bear Pokemon and it awoke from its sleep.

"Teddi?" it growled.

"No, it didn't work," Kyle said, kneeling beside Donphan. "Hey thanks, buddy. If it weren't for you, Teddiursa would have been wiped out…Alright everyone, come on back up! We have to try something else! Just…give em hell! Everything you've got!"

"You tried that before, remember? It didn't work. And now you've lost the aid of your strongest Pokemon and you'll also have to deal with Cradily's attacks this time," Bronty discouraged.

"It'll be different this time. I won't be calling the attacks…Just keep hitting him with whatever you can, guys! There's nothing else we can do!" Kyle exclaimed.

"Ah, so young and ignorant," Bronty said and then looked at all of Kyle's Pokemon as the remainder of them crawled out of the ground. He smiled and said, "Bring it on, gentlemen…"

Teddiursa, Pikachu, Aron, and Donphan looked at each other for a moment and nodded before Donphan charged forward.

"Energy Ball," Bronty said. Cradily opened its jaw and fired a green ball of energy at Donphan. Pikachu raced forward with Quick Attack and then sliced it in half with Iron Tail so that Donphan could proceed.

"Keep it up!" Kyle exclaimed, rushing to Mime Jr.'s side to see how the Mime Pokemon was doing.

Bronty smiled and ordered Cradily to use Hyper Beam, so the Barnacle Pokemon fired another powerful beam of energy at the approaching Donphan who used Rollout to quickly avoid the attack, swerving around and then mowing Cradily over from behind. Teddiursa whispered something to Aron as Donphan repeatedly rolled over Cradily, which prevented it from fighting back. Suddenly, Donphan came out of the Rollout and moved out of the way. Before Cradily could bounce back, Aron popped out of the ground in front of it and slashed at it viciously with Metal Claw. Pikachu then followed that up with Volt Tackle and Teddiursa finished up the combo with Fury Swipes, doing a front tuck and landing behind Cradily with a glowing paw.

"Alright, that's enough of that! Hyper Beam and Acid!" Bronty ordered as Pikachu swung with Iron Tail and Teddiursa swung with Focus Punch. Before either attack could hit, Cradily hit Pikachu head-on with Hyper Beam and then quickly bent its neck backwards to spit toxic sludge into Teddiursa's face. Pikachu flew back, hit the ground, and tumbled several times while Teddiursa stumbled back and sat down, trying to wipe the burning goo from his face.

"Pikachu! Teddiursa!" Kyle cried.

"Awww," Bronty said, kneeling beside Teddiursa and putting a hand on his shoulder. Teddiursa looked up at Bronty and cringed. Something about this man made his skin crawl. He wanted to run but he was too terrified by Bronty's tone to move. Kyle was scooping Pikachu up and noticed Bronty touching Teddiursa.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF HIM!" the boy shouted. Teddiursa cried out and suddenly broke free from Bronty's grip, scurrying back to his trainer and hugging his legs. Kyle called the unconscious Pikachu back to its ball and picked up the poisoned Teddiursa, holding him tightly in his arms.

"Three down, two to go. What fun!" Bronty chuckled as he stood back up.

"What is with this guy?" Kyle thought to himself. "He's so intimidating…and…sadistic…"

"Teddi…" Teddiursa managed.

"We're in trouble…" his trainer whispered.

Tori and Julia had somehow gotten separated and Tori had been all by herself, running through the forest this whole time. She eventually found herself back at the ruins, panicked and out of breath. She looked around and didn't see or hear Ptera, so she sighed with relief. But just to be safe, she crawled underneath a bush to hide. Just when she started to feel relaxed, she heard a twig snap and gasped, eyes wide with terror. She peered out through the bottom of the leaves and saw a pair of khaki boots filled with a pair of skinny legs emerge from the forest.

"Now where did she go, Aerodactyl?" Ptera asked. Tori held her breath as the boots made their way closer to her. They came right to the bush and stopped. "I don't see her…well there's only one thing to do now…"

"Go back to what you were doing and forget about me," Tori prayed on the inside, over and over again.

"Hyper Beam," Ptera said calmly. Tori gasped and rolled out from under the bush in time to avoid being blown apart.

"You can't hide from me honey," Ptera said, crossing her arms and looking down at the naive little girl. Aerodactyl landed beside his master and roared. Tears welled in Tori's eyes and she scooted back across the ground in desperation, ready to cry at any second. Flaaffy popped out of her ball and stood in front of her trainer.

"Flaaffy!" Tori cried. Flaaffy glanced back at her with a serious look, as if telling her trainer to be strong. Tori wiped her eyes and stood, shaking. Ptera smiled wickedly at them.

"Alright Aerodactyl…let's make this quick," Ptera said.

"The ruins! We'll destroy them if we stay here!" Tori realized.

"Yes, I see your point," Ptera said, suddenly looking at the tablets with admiration. "I'm quite fond of history and it would be a shame to destroy them before I got a chance to research them. They may hold some juicy information that could help us with our ultimate goal."

"Ultimate goal?" Tori echoed.

"It's of no importance to you, little one," Ptera said. "Now, lead the way to a better spot. But know that if you try to run, I will not hesitate to destroy you where you stand. Are we clear?"

"Yes," Tori said and turned, walking off into the forest. Flaaffy followed, back facing her trainer so she could make sure Ptera didn't try anything. Ptera followed after them calmly and Aerodactyl soared over them. Fortunately, the first open area they came across happened to have a pond, deep enough for Lapras to dive down into. Tori smiled.

"How aggravating," Ptera said with a sigh. "I don't have time to battle you right now, but I figured you'd put up a fight. This is your last chance. Come quietly and maybe we'll let you live. Flaaffy growled and Tori remained silently. "Have it your way. Aerodactyl, use Heat Wave!"

Aerodactyl swooped down, roaring, and opened its mouth. A white ball of fire formed inside of it and from it, a fiery wind was blown.

"Dodge it, Flaaffy!" Tori exclaimed. Her Flaaffy jumped up, performing a flawless backflip, and landed out of the Heat Wave's path.

"You don't have to play by the rules, sweetheart. I certainly don't. If you have more Pokemon, use them. You need all the help you can get!" Ptera suggested. Tori gritted her teeth and withdrew two Pokeballs from her bag.

"Beautifly, Lapras, it's show time," Tori said as she threw the Pokeballs up in the air. Ptera rolled her eyes.

"Is that really all you have?" the villain asked, glancing up at the Beautifly fluttering above her and then to the Lapras floating on the water's surface.

"Lapras, use Ice Beam!" Tori ordered. Lapras opened her mouth and a ball of ice formed inside. She let it grow for a brief moment before firing a solid beam of ice from it.

"Dodge it," Ptera said. Aerodactyl barrel-rolled out of the way, but Lapras followed it with her head. Aerodactyl flew in all different directions in an attempt to avoid the attack, but Lapras could hold it for a surprisingly long time. Ice sculptures formed all around the battle area as Lapras continued to miss and finally, Aerodactyl fired a Hyper Beam at her and she had to cease the attack to dive underwater.

"Beautifly, use String Shot to immobilize it!" Tori shouted. Beautifly wrapped Aerodactyl's jaw and wings in sticky silk, causing it to fall to the ground.

"I think you're underestimating the power of this creature…" Ptera trailed off as Aerodactyl snapped its jaw back open, breaking the silk.

"What?" Tori said, shocked because no Pokemon had ever broken free so easily before. Aerodactyl then extended its wings, breaking the silk that surrounded them as well. Then its wings began to glow brightly.

"Yes," Ptera began, "use Wing Attack."

"Roo-ah!" Aerodactyl screeched as it took flight once again and headed straight for Beautifly. Tori told her to use Sleep Powder, but Aerodactyl flapped one wing and blew it all away. Beautifly tried to escape but it was too late now, Aerodactyl slammed one of its wings into her body, swerved around, and hit Flaaffy from behind with the other wing as Beautifly fell to the ground.

"Are you guys ok?" Tori asked as they both sat up.

"Yes, but not for long. Hyper Beam!" Ptera ordered. Aerodactyl opened its jaw and Hyper Beam began to form inside, but a large ball of ice hit it in the side and it choked, glaring angrily at Lapras.

"Good girl!" Tori praised.

"Ah yes, let's not forget about you. Aerodactyl, try Giga Impact," Ptera said. Purple energy surrounded Aerodactyl and as it neared Lapras, it picked up speed and orange rings of energy formed around it.

"Lapras, use Mist!" Tori ordered. Lapras spit a blue ball up into the air and the area became shrouded in a thick veil of mist. Aerodactyl crashed into where it thought Lapras would be, but she had moved out of the way, so it splashed into the water. It left the water immediately, screaming in pain. Tori realized that Aerodactyl must be a Rock Pokemon and she knew that Rock-types don't like the water. She smiled at this.

"Damnit," Ptera said to herself. "I'm not prepared for this. If I can't see, there's nothing I can do right? I mean I can barely see my own hand when I hold it out in front of me. Where is Aerodactyl? Where is that brat? Where are her Pokemon?"

"If you aren't going to move, then we will! Water Gun!" Tori shouted.

"There's the brat," Ptera thought to herself, looking forward. "Right where she was before…Now where's –"

"ROOAAHH!" Aerodactyl roared as she heard the sound of water spraying and hitting something.

"They're over there…Aerodactyl is up in the air. That's good. And judging by the sound of that water spray, Lapras was directly under him when she shot it," Ptera reasoned calmly. She then called out to Aerodactyl, directing it to use its other senses if it couldn't see.

"Silver Wind!" Tori called. Beautifly flapped her wings, creating a silver powder that traveled through the mist towards Aerodactyl. By the time the attack came into view, it was too late to avoid it or counter it, so Aerodactyl took the hit. It didn't take too much damage, and now it knew where Beautifly was so it fired a Hyper Beam at her. The attack was so bright, however, Beautifly saw it immediately and avoided it with ease.

"I don't think it hit. Damnit! She's got this cover _and_ long-range attacks? I hate not having the upper hand. I should not have to put so much effort into taking out one pitiful little trainer! Whatever, the mist will fade eventually. Then she'll be in trouble. For now, I just hope Aerodactyl is intelligent enough to dodge her attacks. It needs all of its strength to take on Dialga!" Ptera thought to herself. And as if Beautifly had been reading her thoughts, a Poison Sting was fired and five poisonous, purple needles lodged themselves into Aerodactyl's chest. Ptera heard its cry once more followed by the crackle of Flaaffy's Discharge and the blast of Lapras' Water Gun. There was a loud splash, so it had obviously been knocked into the water. Tori was doing a really good job, but unfortunately, the mist was beginning to fade. Suddenly, Aerodactyl busted out of the water with a thunderous roar and looked around. He was able to see exactly where Lapras was and blasted her with Hyper Beam, nearly destroying the little lake she was swimming in.

"Oh no!" Tori cried as the mist continued to vanish. Luckily, Lapras was still hanging on.

"Oh yes. Heat Wave!" Ptera ordered. Aerodactyl blasted another Heat Wave at Tori and her Pokemon.

"Beautifly, use Gust to blow it away!" Tori cried. Beautifly flapped her wings as hard as she could, extinguishing the flames. Tori let out a sigh of relief.

"What a weak move…Aerodactyl, why don't you show them how powerful _your_ gusts of wind are!" Ptera commanded. Aerodactyl flapped his wings, much more rapidly and with much more power. Tori and her Pokemon braced themselves but the wind didn't blow them away; it was much worse than that. Suddenly, Tori felt as if she couldn't move because there was wind coming at her from all different directions. The wind currents created painful cuts all over her body and she began to scream. Suddenly, the wind stopped and Aerodactyl was on the ground with his wings frozen solid.

"Lap-ah!" Lapras shouted angrily. Tori slid down to her knees and began to cry because the pain from the open wounds was just too great. She looked over and both Flaaffy and Beautifly were knocked out from trying to block Tori and they had taken most of the damage from the attack. Tori sobbed louder and scooped them in close to her.

"Let's finish this up, Aerodactyl," Ptera said coldly.

As tears streamed down her face and Tori waited for the end, she quietly hoped that Kyle, Candace, and Daniel were alright.

**Author Notes:**

I've been feeling the urge to pick this up again. I haven't exactly made peace with my ex-beta but this story doesn't really remind me of him anymore. This is a chapter that I finished months ago but I never posted it because it never got beta-checked and I didn't want to go over it myself at the time. I've decided that I am going to finish this story but it won't be a priority. PokéTales chapters will still be added once a week and if I have extra time, I'll try to update this one as well. I guess I'll shoot for at least one chapter per month or maybe one every two weeks. But anyway, I hope you liked this chapter and if you did, please be sure to leave a review!


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